Smoke, Fire, and Soul: Inside Pork Belly's Ten-Year Journey

By Staff Writer

In 2016, when Chef Erick and Carmen opened the doors to Pork Belly for the first time, San Miguel's food scene was at an inflection point. The town was beginning to attract serious culinary talent tired of the grind elsewhere, looking for a place where tradition and innovation could dance together. What Erick brought to that moment was something the city was hungering for, though it didn't quite know it yet: a philosophy rooted in fire, smoke, and the belief that technique married to passion could transform even the simplest ingredients into transcendence.

Ten years later, Pork Belly isn't just a restaurant. It's become a living document of what happens when a European-trained chef decides to honor his Mexican roots while staying committed to excellence.

The Man Behind the Smoke

Chef Erick's resume reads like a greatest hits of European kitchens. He's worked across the continent, absorbing techniques and disciplines that most young cooks only dream about. But somewhere along the way, he realized that the real magic wasn't in the prestige of a French kitchen or the starred Michelin standards it was in the possibility of taking everything he'd learned and funneling it through his own heritage. Not as an homage. Not as a gimmick. But as an honest reckoning with where he comes from and what his people have always known about cooking.

His obsession with smoking is the heart of this philosophy. Walk into Pork Belly and you'll find that smoker working overtime beef short ribs spending 10 hours transforming into something profound, brisket absorbing wood smoke until it becomes almost unrecognizable from its raw state, octopus and fish and vegetables all submitting to the ancient alchemy of smoke and time. This isn't fusion for fusion's sake. It's a chef asking: What if we took this European technique, this Mexican spirit, and let them become something new together?

The menu tells this story in every dish. Smoked short rib tacos arrive with horseradish and spicy peanut salsa. A grilled cheese sandwich that American comfort classic gets reimagined with smoked brisket and house BBQ. A sea bass ceviche nods to Peru's Pacific coast and Mexico's own seafaring traditions. These aren't random combinations. They're the product of someone thinking deeply about flavor, texture, and what it means to cook with intention.

Community as Ingredient

But technique alone doesn't explain why Pork Belly has become what it is. Carmen's vision for the space matters just as much. The restaurant has grown into multiple zones intimate corners for two, communal tables for groups, a terrace where light and breeze become part of the dining experience. There's real thinking here about hospitality, about making space for different kinds of gathering, different moods, different stories.

The team reflects this philosophy. This isn't a kitchen where people are interchangeable. The staff is genuinely invested, and you can feel the difference between a place that's just moving product and a place where people actually care. That human element, that warmth is what transforms a meal into a memory.

The Next Chapter

Perhaps most exciting is Pork Belly's latest venture: their own line of CBD Mezcal, developed in collaboration with producers in Oaxaca. It's the kind of move that could feel like a cash grab, except it's clear that Erick and Carmen approached it the same way they approach everything with curiosity and craft. They didn't just slap their name on it. They created something.

Worth the Trip

In a town that has no shortage of good food, Pork Belly stands out because it's made by people who are thinking. Thinking about flavor and provenance and technique and community. They're thinking about what it means to serve food in San Miguel de Allende in 2026, a place that's simultaneously deeply rooted and always evolving. Whether you're coming for the smoked short rib tacos, the creative mezcal cocktails, or simply to be in a space where care has been taken with every detail, Pork Belly deserves a place on your regular rotation. It's a restaurant worth celebrating.

Pork Belly at Stirling Dickinson 10

Reservations +52 415 100 6132

Open Monday - Saturday, noon till 10:00 p.m. and Sunday, noon till 9:00 p.m.

www.porkbellysma.com