Pork Belly Burnt Ends
Traditional BBQ burnt ends feature the point of the brisket, cubed and cooked further in a sticky sauce. This spin on burnt ends uses pork belly instead, and the result is like cubes of pig candy. Yum!
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!
Notes
I've found that generally, pork belly comes with the skin removed. In the event that your piece comes with skin, use a sharp knife to remove that layer from the pork, without removing the entire fat cap.