Smoked Pork Belly Burnt Ends are tender bites of meat rubbed down in spices, then infused with smokey flavor and coated in a caramelized sweet and sticky barbecue sauce. Cooked low and slow these mouthwatering bites will practically melt in your mouth.
Crispy on the outside but juicy and tender on the inside each bite is irresistible. Burnt Ends are great for those summer time barbecues, game days, special occasions and get togethers with friends or family!
Try these mouthwatering bites as a tasty appetizer, on a bun for pork belly sandwiches, alongside your favorite side dish, in tacos or on a salad. With so many ways to enjoy Smoked Pork Belly Burnt Ends you are sure to serve these again and again!
In fact, we love serving Smoked Pork Belly Burnt Ends with our favorite cheesy funeral potatoes for a warm and comforting meal or our best corn on the cob for a fresh and crunchy contrast.
Love your smoker and looking for more reasons to grill? Then you’ve got to try our Lemon Garlic Salmon, Tri-Tip Steak, and Poor Man’s Burnt Ends this grilling season.
🥫 Ingredients
All you need for these tender and mouthwatering Smoked Pork Belly Burnt Ends is a good cut of meat and a small handful of ingredients. This recipe may be a bit more of a time commitment but it is going to be worth the extra effort, I promise!
All you need is:
- Pork Belly
- Seasoning Rub
- Honey
- BBQ Sauce
- Butter
- Brown Sugar
(Scroll down to the recipe card for exact measurements and full printable instructions.)
🥣 Step-by-Step Instructions
Firstly, we want to make sure our smoker is pre-heated to 275° F. Allow your grill to pre-heat with the lid closed for at least 15 minutes. While heating we can go ahead and prepare our meat.
Begin by cutting the pork belly into 1 inch cubes and season with a pork seasoning rub like our favorite, Traeger pork and poultry rub, till all sides are coated.
Then place each seasoned cube of pork on a wire cooling rack so no pieces are touching. Afterwards move the racks with the meat to the pre-heated smoker grill. Close the lid and allow the pork to smoke until the internal temperature is 190° F. (This should take roughly 3 hours.)
When getting close use a thermometer like our favorite instant read thermometer to check your internal temp.
When done cooking transfer the Burnt End cubes to an aluminum pan. Afterwards cover the meat with bbq sauce and honey. Then add chunks of butter to the pan and sprinkle with brown sugar.
Toss the Smoked Pork Belly Burnt Ends till well coated and re-place the pan on the grill. Close the lid and allow the pork to heat for another hour until caramelized and all the liquid is rendered off.
Remove pork belly cubes from the grill and allow to rest for 10 minutes before enjoying!
👩🏻🍳 Make it Your Own
Give it a Nice Bark
To build up more of a bark or crust on your Burnt Ends try spritzing your bites with a 50/50 blend of apple juice and apple cider vinegar every 30-40 minutes while smoking.
Add Some Heat
If you are looking for some heat try swapping your honey for a hot honey instead.
No Smoker or Grill
If you don’t have a smoker don’t fret. You can absolutely make these Pork Belly Burnt Ends in your oven too. Just be sure to place a baking sheet below your wire rack to catch any drippings.
🍽 Storing
If you decide you want to double the recipe for leftovers, your Smoked Pork Belly Burnt Ends can be stored in an airtight container for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 4 months.
When ready to enjoy again consider putting your bites in the air fryer to re-heat and crisp back up. Or you can also re-warm then on the smoker at 250° F for about 30 minutes.
📋 FAQ's
Can you make pork belly burnt ends without a smoker or grill?
If you don’t have a smoker don’t fret. You can still enjoy these Smoked Pork Belly Burnt Ends. Instead of smoking on the grill place them in your oven. Just be sure to place a baking sheet below your wire rack to catch any drippings.
Can you over cook burnt ends?
This is a great question – don’t let the name fool you. Just because the word burnt is in the name doesn’t mean you can’t overcook these tasty bites. Any cut of meat if cooked too long will become tough and dried out. Just follow the directions in the recipe card and you’ll be good to go!
Do you have to add sauce to pork belly burnt ends?
The sauce is not necessary. You can definitely leave out the sauce and enjoy these Smoked Pork Belly Burnt Ends after the smoking process. Adding your barbecue sauce, honey, butter and brown sugar just gives your meat candy a saucy and sticky caramelized coating that is finger lickin' good!
Smoked Pork Belly Burnt Ends
Tender bites of pork belly rubbed in aromatic spices, then infused with smokey flavor and coated in a caramelized sweet and sticky barbecue sauce.
Ingredients
- 5 pounds pork belly
- Traeger pork and poultry rub
- ½ cup honey
- 1½ cups Traeger sweet & heat bbq sauce
- ¼ cup butter
- ¼ cup brown sugar
Instructions
- Pre-heat the smoker or grill to 275° F.
- Trim off the excess fat and skin from the pork belly and cut into 1 inch cubes.
- Season the pork cubes with a pork seasoning rub like our favorite, Traeger pork and poultry rub, till all sides are coated.
- Place each seasoned cube of pork on a wire cooking rack so no pieces are touching.
- Place the meat racks to the pre-heated smoker grill and place directly on the grate. Close the grill lid and allow the pork to smoke until the internal temperature is 190° F. (This should take roughly 3 hours.)
- Transfer the smoked pork cubes to a deep aluminum pan. Add the bbq sauce and honey to the meat in the pan. Sprinkle the meat with brown sugar.
- Toss the pork till it is well coated. Add cubes of butter and place the pan back on the grill.
- Close the lid and allow the pork to caramelize. (Should take about 1 hour.)
- Once caramelized remove the pork belly bites from the grill and allow to rest for 10 minutes before enjoying!
Notes
Don't miss other helpful tips, recipe variations and storage information found in the full article above.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 1051Total Fat: 68gSaturated Fat: 26gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 39gCholesterol: 263mgSodium: 683mgCarbohydrates: 37gFiber: 0gSugar: 35gProtein: 68g
Nutritional information provided is an automatic calculation and can vary based on the exact products used and any changes made to the recipe. If these calculations are important to you, I recommend calculating them for yourself.