This is an easy and quick recipe that will become a hit with your family and friends.
PRIMARY INGREDIENTS
- Pork Belly (Skin Removed)
- Seasoning like my Smoke Junkie from Spiceology
- B.B.Q. Sauce
- Butter
STEP-BY-STEP
- Set Smoker to 275
- While Smoker is warming up cube pork belly into one inch pieces.
- After cubing season pork belly with your favorite rubs. For this last cook I went with an all purpose rub and a touch of a sweet rub to get a more savory profile.
- I used an extra rack and placed the cubes on that in my smoker.
- You want to smoke for about 3 hours or until the cubes hot around 195 for that soft texture.
- Every 45 minutes to an hour you will want to spritz the pork to keep it from drying out. This can be done with apple juice or water.
- Once they hit temp place the cubes in an aluminum pan.
- Season with the same seasoning or a different flavor profile to build some unique flavors. I went with a sweet rub in this step.
- Cover the cubes with B.B.Q sauce.
- Last step place a few pats of butter on top.
- Place back on the smoker for an about an hour. You want the sauce to reduce and get caramelized a bit.
WHY COOKING PORK BELLY BURNT ENDS ON THE TRAEGER WORKS
Smoking pork belly on the Traeger is a right of passage. While I may be Jewish, there’s no denying that pork is one of my favorite things to cook. And especially that’s the truth on the Traeger. There’s not an ounce of kosher in me and that’s ok!
When you make pork belly burnt ends on the Traeger, you give the dish an unmistakable base of wood-fired flavor thanks to the Traeger wood pellets. Then, the low and slow cook that continues on affords the pork belly the opportunity to cook gently, render the fat and become enrobed in a sweet BBQ and butter sauce. It cannot be beaten!
ALTERNATE RECIPES/PRODUCT LINKS
Here are some other pork belly recipes you could try:
Products used in this cook:
- Traeger smoker grill and wood pellets (we like apple and cherry for this recipe)
- My Spiceology rub called Smoke Junkie
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Pork Belly Burnt Ends
Equipment
- Smoker grill
- Grill-safe wire rack (optional)
- Spray bottle
- Grill-safe baking dish or aluminum pan
Ingredients
- 2 pounds pork belly (with skin removed, see note)
- ½ cup rub or seasoning designed for pork like my Smoke Junkie from Spiceology (pork rubs generally include some sugar, salt, pepper, and some spices like paprika)
- ½ cup apple juice or water
- 1 cup your preferred BBQ sauce
- ⅓ cup butter, cut in pats
Instructions
- Preheat your smoker grill to 275°.
- While smoker is warming up, cut the pork belly into 1-inch cubes.
- Season the pork belly cubes with your preferred rub. Be sure to coat all six sides. Reserve a bit of seasoning for a later step.
- If desired, use a grill-safe wire rack to transport your pork belly cubes to the grill. Arrange cubes on the rack, leaving space between each, and place entire rack directly on the grill grate. Alternately, you can just place the pork directly on the grill grate.
- Allow pork to smoke for 3 hours, until the internal temperature of the pork is about 195°.
- Hourly during cooking, spray pork with some of the apple juice or water in your spray bottle. This helps the meat retain moisture during the cook.
- Once the pork reaches 195°, transfer to the pan or dish.
- Sprinkle with additional seasoning and pour BBQ sauce over top. Stir to combine and coat all pieces.
- Spread pork evenly in the pan and top with a few pats of butter throughout.
- Return pan to smoker and cook for one additional hour.
- Serve and enjoy!
KAYSWELL says
It’s a pity you don’t have a donate button! I’d certainly donate to this outstanding blog! I suppose for now i’ll settle for book-marking and adding your RSS feed to my Google account. I look forward to new updates and will share this website with my Facebook group. Chat soon!
thisjewcanque says
Thanks so much @Kayswell– so sorry for the delay in responding. Glad to be of help and inspiration. You could get my cookbook if you want a non-digital version of my recipes!