Inside Columbia’s College of BBQ Knowledge

Inside Columbia magazine's 2nd annual College of BBQ Knowledge was a huge success with great food, plenty of cold beverages and awesome grilling demonstrations. Below are many of the recipes that the masters of the grill used at the College of BBQ Knowledge. Try one next time you fire up the grill!

Dry Rub Pork Belly
6 tablespoons black pepper
6 tablespoons kosher salt
10 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon cayenne (this will be about medium heat, feel free to add more)
1 tablespoon paprika
1 tablespoon oregano
1 tablespoon thyme

1 fresh pork belly (9–11 pounds)
1 pint chicken stock

1. Mix all ingredients for rub together. Rub fresh (not cured) pork belly on both sides. Let rub sit on belly for 2 to 3 hours in refrigerator.
2. Place belly on a roasting rack in a pan and bake in a 190-degree oven for 9 to 11 hours. Add chicken stock to the bottom of the pan to keep the belly moist. Check the belly after 9 hours and test the tenderness with a fork or paring knife.
3. Once belly is tender, remove from the oven and cool. Slice into half-inch slabs and grill.


Reverse-Braised Pork Belly
1 gallon chicken stock
4 12-ounce bottles of Sapporo Japanese beer
1 cup dark soy sauce
¼ cup Thai fish sauce
¼ cup garlic chili paste

1 fresh pork belly (9–11 pounds)

1. You will need a pan that is about the same shape as the pork belly but about four times deeper (you can also cut the belly into smaller portions and make it in separate pans). Place the belly in the pan and add all of the other ingredients.
2. Weigh the belly down with two roasting racks, and then cover the pan with foil, leaving a corner up for steam to escape.
3. Place in a 200-degree oven for 6 to 8 hours. Test the tenderness with a fork or knife; if tender, remove pan from the oven and uncover. Do not remove the weights or belly; it will be so tender that the belly will fall apart. Let cool in the liquid for 3 to 4 hours or overnight.
4. Cut into half-inch thick slabs and grill. Grill a small piece to start for a taste test; you may need to sprinkle with some salt as you grill it.


Basic Dry Cure
1 pound kosher salt
½ pound granulated sugar
2 ounces TCM (tinted cure mix) or pink salt

Cured Pork Belly (Bacon)
1 fresh pork belly (9–11 pounds)
Basic dry cure to coat belly

1. You don’t have to cure an entire belly; you can cure a portion and freeze the rest. Place the belly or portion of the belly you would like to cure, on a sheet pan and coat the pork heavily with cure mixture. Shake off excess.
2. Place the cure-coated belly on another sheet pan with a rack underneath and refrigerate for a week. The cure will draw out moisture from the belly, so empty out the liquid from the bottom of the pan every couple of days.
3. After a week’s cure, the belly will be firm. Rinse off the cure and dry off the belly, which is now bacon. You can smoke it, grill it, or slice it and fry it for breakfast.

Pork belly can be purchased locally at Moser’s, Patricia’s Foods and Hy-Vee. Call ahead to determine availability.