Smoked Hog Jowl with Carolina Gold BBQ Sauce

Smoked Hog Jowl with Carolina Gold BBQ Sauce

A Southern tradition taken low and slow

If you live anywhere near the South, chances are you’ve had hog jowl at least once, usually on New Year’s Day. It’s one of those foods that carries tradition with it. Salty, rich, and deeply Southern. But instead of stopping at the skillet, today we’re taking hog jowl to the smoker and finishing it with a bold Carolina Gold BBQ sauce that cuts through the richness perfectly.

This cook happened on a cold 27-degree morning, the kind of weather where an insulated smoker really earns its keep. The Old Country Barbecue Pits G3 held steady at temperature while cherry wood added a subtle sweetness to the smoke.

What Is Hog Jowl?

Hog jowl is the cheek meat of the hog, located just behind the jawline. Despite the name, it’s not the jawbone itself. Most hog jowl you’ll find is already cured, sliced, and often lightly smoked, making it very similar to bacon. If you can’t find hog jowl, thick-cut bacon can be used as a substitute with the same process.

Prepping the Hog Jowl

Prep couldn’t be easier. The hog jowl comes straight out of the vacuum-sealed package and gets coated with a sweet BBQ rub. Because hog jowl is very fatty, a sweet rub works especially well here. The sugars help balance the richness and build great color during the cook. Uncle Dave’s sweet rub was used for this cook and paired perfectly with the final sauce.

Once seasoned, the slices were placed on a wire rack. This makes handling easier and keeps everything intact when moving on and off the smoker. Any small leftover pieces didn’t go to waste either. They were bagged and frozen for future beans or slow-cooked dishes.

Smoking the Hog Jowl

The smoker was brought up to around 250°F using lump charcoal with a couple of cherry wood splits. The hog jowl went on and smoked for about two hours.

This isn’t a cook where you’re chasing a specific internal temperature. Instead, tenderness tells the story. After two hours, a probe slid into most pieces easily, especially the thinner ones. Thicker slices needed a bit more time.

Before saucing, everything was flipped. As the fat renders, seasoning on the bottom can wash away, so flipping helps even things out before glazing.

Carolina Gold BBQ Sauce

While the hog jowl smoked, a South Carolina–style Carolina Gold BBQ sauce was simmering on the stove. This mustard-based sauce brings tang, sweetness, and just enough heat to balance the richness of the pork.

After flipping, the hog jowl was brushed with sauce and cooked for 15 minutes. Then it was flipped again, sauced one last time, and cooked for another 15 minutes to let the glaze set.

Carolina Gold BBQ Sauce Recipe

This sauce is bold, tangy, slightly sweet, and made to shine on pork.

Ingredients

• ¾ cup yellow mustard

• 1 tablespoon Dijon or deli mustard

• ½ cup apple cider vinegar

• 1 tablespoon Texas Pete (or similar hot sauce)

• 2 tablespoons water

• 1 cup dark brown sugar

• 1 tablespoon seasoning salt (Uncle Dave’s Savory Salt recommended)

• 1 teaspoon chili powder

• ½ teaspoon white pepper

• 1 teaspoon garlic powder

• ¼ teaspoon chipotle powder

Instructions

1. Combine all ingredients in a saucepan over medium heat.

2. Stir continuously while slowly bringing the sauce to a gentle boil.

3. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring often.

4. Remove from heat and allow to cool. The sauce will thicken as it cools.

Tip: Don’t over-simmer. As the sauce cools, the brown sugar thickens it naturally.

The Finished Bite

After resting for about 15 to 20 minutes, the hog jowl was tender, flexible, and packed with flavor. Not rubbery. Not dried out. Just the right balance of rendered fat and meat. One bite was enough to put a smile on your face.

Check out the full cook on YouTube: https://youtu.be/jvDAQEDU3vQ