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Indulge in the mouthwatering goodness of smoked pork belly burnt ends. These delectable bites are the perfect smoky, tender, and flavorful combination—the secret lies in slow-smoking the pork belly until it reaches that ideal melt-in-your-mouth texture.
Seasoned with an irresistible blend of spices and coated with sweet barbecue sauce, these burnt ends are an absolute barbecue sensation. Serve them as an appetizer or a delicious filling for sandwiches and tacos.
Table of Contents
Why we love Pork Belly Burnt Ends
If you’re a barbecue enthusiast, you’re probably familiar with the allure of classic brisket burnt ends. Burnt ends are where the fatty end of the smoked brisket are cut up and smothered in sauce and cooked until caramelized.
These tasty treats are famous for their delicious flavor and tender texture and are frequently sold out at popular BBQ restaurants before the day is over.
Like brisket burnt ends, and chuck roast burnt ends, pork belly burnt ends are tender, packed with flavor, and melt in your mouth.
These delicious pieces of meat candy have a distinct taste with a caramelized sauce and smoky crust created by slow smoking. They are sticky, sweet, savory, and incredibly satisfying.
What is pork belly?
Pork belly is a flavorful and versatile cut of meat that comes from the underside or belly of a pig. It is known for its rich marbling of fat and meat, which gives it a luscious and tender texture when cooked.
With layers of succulent fat interspersed with meat, pork belly offers a delightful combination of juiciness and richness.
Ingredients Needed to Smoke Pork belly
- Pork Belly: a fatty cut of meat from the pig’s underside, the same meat used for bacon. You can find this cut at your local meat market or butcher shop. Costco also sells it cut into thick slices. To make burnt ends, you will want to cut the pork belly into cubes about 1 inch wide.
- Oil: used as a binder to help hold the dry rub on the meat for smoking.
- BBQ Sauce: use your favorite BBQ sauce, or make a homemade sauce.
- Pork Dry Rub: our favorite pork rib dry rub works wonderfully with this recipe! Make it with light brown sugar, smoked paprika, chili powder, salt, garlic powder, onion powder, and coarse ground black pepper.
- Butter: adds richness to the sauce.
- Honey: adds sweetness to the sauce the bites will braise in. You may want more or less depending on the sweetness of the bbq sauce you are using. Give the sauce a taste and adjust as needed.
How much pork belly per person?
Depending on the age of the person and sides or other foods being served, plan on 5-8 ounces of pork belly per person.
How to Smoke Pork Belly Burnt Ends
Pork Dry Rub
- Prepare the dry rub by combining the ingredients needed in a small bowl. You can easily adjust the amounts of sugar and chili powder as desired if needed.
- Chop the pork belly into the desired chunks, approximately 1 inch cubes. Then coat with the oil and sprinkle with the pork rib dry rub.
Smoking the Meat
- Place the pieces of meat on a wire rack, due to the size of the pieces you want the extra wire support during the cook.
- Smoke the pork belly at 225 degrees F for two and a half to three hours. The meat will be darkened and have a nice red coloring to it from the smoke.
- Remove the meat from the smoker and add to a baking tin or large cast iron skillet (that has a lid). Stir in the BBQ sauce and honey. Then add the pads of butter on top.
- Continue smoking while covered for another hour or until the meat reaches an internal temperature of 200-205 degrees F. The meat will be extremely tender.
Smoke Time
Smoke Pork Belly Burnt Ends at 225 degrees F for 3.5 to 4 hours or until the burnt ends reach an internal temperature of 200-205 degrees F.
Serving Ideas
- Main Dish: you can serve these pork belly burnt ends as a main dish on their own, or load them into a hamburger bun for a BBQ sandwich, or into some soft flour tortillas for a Tex Mex BBQ mash up.
- Appetizer: these small bites also work well as an appetizer or addition to a game-day snack spread! Just like meatballs, you can serve these on their own as an appetizer, keep them warm in a slow cooker if desired.
- Side Dish Ideas: however you decide to serve these delectable bites, here’s some side dishes that pair perfectly with the richness of this meat, Southern Coleslaw, Wedge Salad, Southern Potato Salad, Baked Beans, and German Potato Salad.
Storage Information
- Refrigerator: To keep your leftover pork belly burnt ends fresh, store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3-4 days.
- Freezer: Allow the burnt ends to cool to room temperature, then wrap in foil and place in a freezer bag or freezer safe container. Store in the freezer for up to three months, remove to the refrigerator to thaw overnight.
- Reheating: Remove the burnt ends from the refrigerator, and wrap them in aluminum foil. Bake in the oven at 350 degrees F for 20-25 minutes.
Smoked Pork belly Burnt Ends FAQs
Overcooking pork belly in the smoker can lead to the meat becoming dried out. This gives it a tough and rubbery texture.
Pork belly is a very fatty piece of meat, if you purchased a cut with the skin on, you will want to trim the skin off and some of the fat cap underneath, no more than 1/4 of an inch.
You can set up your charcoal grill as a smoker by using wood chips. Cook over indirect heat, and monitor the internal temperature of the grill.
More smoker recipes
Pork Belly Burnt Ends
Ingredients
Pork Dry Rub
- ¼ cup light brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon cayenne
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
Burnt Ends
- 4 pounds pork belly
- 2 tablespoons avocado oil
- ½-1 cup BBQ sauce
- 4 tablespoons butter
- ¼ cup honey
Instructions
- Preheat smoker to 225 degrees F using cherry or hickory wood.
- If the pork belly came with skin, remove the skin and up to ¼ an inch of the fat underneath. Cut the pork belly into 1-1½ inch cubes.
- Place the cubed meat in a large bowl and drizzle with the oil. Stir around to coat the meat with the oil.
- Add all of the ingredients for the dry rub in a small bowl. Stir to combine.
- Sprinkle the dry rub seasoning mix over the top and using your hands or a wooden spoon gently stir to coat the pork with the seasoning mixture.
- Place the cubed pork on a wire rack.
- Smoke them on a smoker at a temperature between 225°F and 250°F for 2 ½ to 3 hours until they turn dark red and develop a nice bark.
- Place the pork belly cubes in a disposable aluminum pan, or cast iron pan or skillet with a lid, and mix them with BBQ sauce, butter, and honey until they are evenly coated.
- Cover the tray with foil (or place the lid on) and cook it in the smoker for 60 to 90 minutes. Check that the meat has reached a temperature between 200°F to 205°F by inserting a digital meat thermometer into the middle of one of the burnt ends.
- Take them off the grill and allow them to rest for about 20 minutes until the sauce thickens around the exterior and they cool down slightly.
Notes
- Refrigerator: To keep your leftover pork belly burnt ends fresh, store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3-4 days.
- Freezer: Allow the burnt ends to cool to room temperature, then wrap in foil and place in a freezer bag or freezer safe container. Store in the freezer for up to three months, remove to the refrigerator to thaw overnight.
- Reheating: Remove the burnt ends from the refrigerator, and wrap them in aluminum foil. Bake in the oven at 350 degrees F for 20-25 minutes.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
