Looking for a delicious and easy appetizer for your next BBQ? Look no further than Pork Belly Burnt Ends! Tender, succulent, and smoky-sweet, these little morsels will have your guests begging for more. With just a few simple ingredients, you can have these on the smoker in no time at all. So, fire up the smoker and get ready to indulge in some meat candy!
What are Pork Belly Burnt Ends?
Despite the name “burnt ends”, these are far from any resemblance of dry or burnt!
Pork belly burnt ends are simply bite-sized pieces of smoked pork belly that have been cooked until they are super tender. Cubed pieces of pork belly are rubbed with a dry spice rub, smoked low and slow, and then tossed in your favourite BBQ sauce. Traditionally they are made with beef brisket but are delicious using pork belly too.
Where Do I Find Pork Belly?
Pork belly is a fatty, boneless cut of meat from the belly of a pig. This cut does very well with low and slow cooking methods and is commonly made into smoked bacon.
Pork belly can be found at most butcher shops. If you have trouble finding it, ask your butcher for a slab of pork belly. They will be more than happy to help you out! For Pork Belly Burnt Ends, you will want to ask for a SKINLESS pork belly or remove the skin yourself at home.
How Do I Make Pork Belly Burnt Ends?
Making Pork Belly Burnt Ends is easy! Start by cubing your pork belly into bite-sized pieces. It’s easiest to cut the pork belly when it comes straight from the fridge and is still cold. As with everything you cut, make sure your knife is sharp for this task.
Rub the cubes with a dry spice rub of your choice. We like to use Kozlik’s Pork Rub, but any pork rub will work. Each side should be coated generously with the rub.
Using a wire rack to smoke the pork belly cubes comes in handy. The wire rack conveniently allows you to move the meat to the smoker in one go, without losing any of those precious little cubes! This prevents you from having the lid open for extended periods of time and still allows the smoke to circulate all sides of the meat.
Next, smoke the pork belly low and slow at 275F until they are probe tender (inserting a probe thermometer should glide in easily with no resistance). The temperature will be about 190-195F and take about 1.5-2 hours. Be careful not to overcook the pork belly – you want these to be tender not dried out!
Remove the Pork Belly Burnt Ends, place them in a foil pan and toss them in your favourite BBQ sauce. Ensure they are well coated! Return the uncovered pan to the smoker to caramelize the sauce.
The total smoke time for Pork Belly Burnt Ends will take about 2.5 – 3 hours.
Pork Belly Burnt Ends Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 lbs skinless pork belly
- 3 tbsp Kozlik’s Pork Rub, or your favourite rub
- Apple juice for spritzing, if desired
- 1 ¼ cup Cherry Habanero BBQ Sauce, see below for recipe or use your favourite BBQ sauce
Directions
- Prepare your smoker at 275F with apple, cherry, hickory, or pecan wood pellets.
- Cube the pork belly into 1 x 1 inch pieces.
- Season the pork belly cubes with the rub, being sure to generously coat each side. Allow the rub to adhere to the meat for about 15 minutes.
- Spread the cubes out fat-side up on a wire rack, such as a cooling rack. Place the wire rack with pork belly cubes onto the grates of your pre-heated smoker. Smoke until they are probe tender (inserting a probe will have little to no resistance). The internal temperature of the meat will be about 190-195F, which takes approximately 1.5 – 2 hours. Spritz the pork belly with apple juice a couple of times during cooking, if desired.
- Place the meat in a half-size aluminium pan or food pan. Cover the cubes with BBQ sauce and toss to coat, ensuring they are completely covered. Spread the pork belly cubes in a single layer in the pan.
- Return the pan, uncovered, to the smoker and cook for another hour. The sauce will reduce and caramelize.
- Allow the pork belly cubes to cool for about 10 minutes before serving.
Cherry Habanero BBQ Sauce Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1 habanero pepper deseeded and roughly chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 1/2 cups cherry preserves
- 3/4 cup ketchup
- 1/2 cup orange juice
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon chipotle powder
- ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
Directions
- Heat the oil in a pan over medium heat and sauté the habanero pepper for 2 minutes.
- Add the minced garlic to the pan and sauté for 30 seconds.
- Turn the pan up to medium-high heat and add the cherry preserves, ketchup, orange juice, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, apple cider vinegar, onion powder, chipotle powder, smoked paprika, and sea salt to the pan. Stir to combine.
- When the sauce starts to boil, turn the heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes.
- Remove the sauce from the heat when it is reduced and thickened. Using a small spoon, remove the habanero pepper pieces and discard.
- Allow the sauce to cool, transfer to a jar and store in the fridge. Enjoy as a barbeque sauce or dip.
