see the rise of pork barrel belly . Twenty years ago , it just vocalize like a mean name you might call your tubbycollege roommate . In 2004 , New York ’s Momofuku commence using it as an inexpensive weft for pork fundament . In 2008 , Portland hipster sandwich joint Bunk turned it into a Cubano . before long it was on basically every menu shy of degenerate food for thought . Until now : Arby ’s has announced a new Smokehouse Pork Belly sandwich .
Arby ’s has long been an underdog in the fast - food cosmos , which is disgraceful give that at least three of the card item – the chicken sandwich , the beloved curly tiddler , and the mozz sticks – could stand up to any comparable pub fare . And while people have mixed tactile sensation about the joint bitch – they either roll in the hay it or pretend to dislike it in the hopes that Jon Stewart will seem from the ether to give them a thumbs - up – the Smokehouse lineup of brisket and turkey has been surprisingly serviceable . Does it try like BBQ ? No . But does it smack like smoky Arby ’s ? Hell yes . And that ’s good enough !
Does the pork belly stack up to the rest of the Meat Mountain ? We investigated .
Andy Kryza/Thrillist
The build
This sucker looked a little smashed on arriver , but the elements consisted of somewhat crunchy fried onions up top with shredded lettuce , melted - then - recoagulated smoke American cheese , and a sad dollop of BBQ sauce the midsection . The bottom roll had a bit of mayo , and the star of the show – that porc stomach – was serve up in two gigantic slabs of fatty , gristly glory in the middle . Arby ’s state it was smoked for five 60 minutes . It took me less than five hour to consume it .
The verdict
OK , so this is n’t a pretty sandwich by any means . It was lukewarm despite being ordered mid - lunch rush , and looked like it had been used for Little League batten practice .
But the taste was weirdly beguiling . As a BBQ sauce disparager , I really did n’t mind the minimum saucing it set out . And that porc stomach , while far from a high-pitched - ending indulgence , was pretty on point , with a gentle hickory bang and meat that wedged firmly between tooth , as real BBQ is wo nt to do . The proportion of meat to fatness was about 60/40 ( anyone who orders porc belly and bemoans its adiposeness is clearly not the hearing here ) . It had the body of behind - cooked porc loin with a cover of flaccid centre jelly . To that remnant , it was a success .
It ’s also probably a flash in the pan . Or smoker . Or whatever Arby ’s use to smoke its meats . This is no Beef & Cheddar . But append it as a bacon alternative to the already - expectant chicken sandwich and Arby ’s might have just discovered some sort of mutant riotous - food crabbed - species magic we did n’t even realize we demand . And until Burger King unleash Cheetos - crusted pork nuggets on us ( good Lord ! ) , it ’ll support as a decent argument for the cellular inclusion of porc belly in the fast - food pantheon .
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Arby’s pork belly, naked and alone|Andy Kryza/Thrillist
