Pork Belly Burnt Ends
Pork belly burnt ends are meat candy. Cube skin-off belly into 1.5 inch chunks, rub, and smoke at 250F on cherry until they render, around 190F. Toss in a pan with BBQ sauce, brown sugar, and butter, then return 15 minutes to candy the glaze. Roughly 4 hours.
- Method
- Low and slow smoke
- Total time
- 4 hr
- Target internal temp
- 190F to 200F rendered
- Gear
- Pellet grill, cherry, foil pan, Folding Tongs
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
- 3 lb skin-off pork belly, cut into 1.5 inch cubes
- 1/4 cup BBQ rub (brown sugar, paprika, salt, pepper)
- 1 cup BBQ sauce
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 4 tablespoons butter
- Cherry wood
The Cook
- 01
Cut the belly into even 1.5 inch cubes. Even sizing means even cooking.
- 02
Coat the cubes all over in rub.
- 03
Smoke at 250F on cherry, fat rendering, until they hit about 190F and the fat is soft, around 3 hours.
- 04
Move the cubes to a foil pan. Add BBQ sauce, brown sugar, and pats of butter.
- 05
Toss to coat with the Tongs. Failure point: pull them too early before the fat renders and they eat chewy and greasy, so make sure they are soft first.
- 06
Return the pan to the smoker, uncovered, for 15 minutes to candy and firm the glaze.
- 07
Toss once more and check that the glaze clings and sets.
- 08
Rest 5 minutes and serve hot.
Doneness
The fat should be fully rendered and jiggly at 190F to 200F, and the glaze should set sticky on the outside. A cube should give with light pressure from the Tongs.
Pro Tip
Do not skip the second candy stage in the pan. Pulling them straight off the smoker without the butter-sugar toss leaves them dry instead of glazed.
Questions
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