pork belly burnt ends

Recipe by
Sherry Blizzard
Piney Flats, TN

These pork belly smoked bites are just the ticket for tender, melt in your mouth, buttery, sweet, and sticky barbecue smoked goodness. Very addicting! Serving size depends on how many a person can eat. I am guessing 10-12 people can eat this if you limit them to 2 or 3. But who wants to put a limit on such yummy bites?

yield 10 serving(s)
prep time 20 Min
cook time 4 Hr 20 Min
method Smoke

Ingredients For pork belly burnt ends

  • PORK
  • 4-5 lb
    pork belly slab, skin removed
  • 1/2 c
    favorite bbq dry rub
  • 1/2 c
    brown sugar, divided
  • 1/2 tsp
    black pepper
  • 1 c
    unsalted butter, divided
  • SMOKING WOOD
  • 3 scoop
    use a ratio of 1/2 hardwood like hickory and 1/2 fruit wood like cherry or apple
  • SAUCE
  • 1/2 c
    barbecue sauce
  • 1/2 c
    honey
  • 2 Tbsp
    hot sauce
  • 1/4 c
    apple juice

How To Make pork belly burnt ends

  • 1
    Preheat a smoker without wood chips to 265 degrees F and set for 3-4 hours (giving time to come to 265-275).
  • Whole slab pork belly.  Cut into 1
    2
    Wipe the pork belly with paper towels to remove as much moisture as possible on both sides. Cut lengthwise into 1 1/2" long strips. Turn and do the same to get 1 1/2" cubes.
  • LIBERALLY season all sides of the cubes with your favorite barbecue rub seasoning.  Don't forget to add the extra brown sugar.  You're looking for sweet, sticky and spicy at the end.
    3
    Add half the brown sugar to the bbq dry rub. Combine well and coat all sides of the cubes generously with the mixture. My favorite is from the cookbook "The Smoking Bacon & Hog Cookbook: The Whole Pig & Nothing But the Pig BBQ Recipes." The recipe is called "Smokin' Hoggz Whole Hog Dry Rub"
  • A baking tray on the bottom will keep some of that rendered fat from the cubes of loveliness.  You need a high walled aluminum pan.  I should have had a bigger pan for the amount I had, but it still works.
    4
    Place a baking tray in the bottom of an aluminum foil pan with deep sides to keep some of the fat from the bottom. Add the cubes of pork with the fat cap up. Cut 1/2 cup of the butter into slices and top the pork with them.
  • What should you put on top of bacon?  BUTTER!  You're smoking this uncovered for 3 hours at 260-270!
    5
    When the smoker reaches 265-275 degrees F, add wood chips. When you see smoke, put the aluminum foil pan with the cubes in the smoker and set it for 3 hours.
  • 6
    Take out of the smoker and transfer those delicious gems of goodness to a clean high sided aluminum pan. Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup brown sugar on top along with the honey. Slice the remaining 1/2 cup butter into slices and place them on top. Cover with aluminum foil and put back on the smoker for another hour.
  • This photo is before you add your sauce.  Transfer the cubes to a clean dry aluminum pan.  Add you barbecue mixture.  Toss and put back on the smoker for 15 to 20 minutes.
    7
    Mix together the sauce ingredients and taste to get the flavor you want. Pour over the top of the pork and toss.
  • Smoky, sweet, spicy....Yum
    8
    Put that pan back on the smoker for 10-20 minutes. It will get a nice, sticky glaze. I dare you not to eat one right away!
ADVERTISEMENT