Similar to the succulent nuggets of beef love you get from a beef brisket burnt ends, these pork belly burnt ends are even more tender and juicy than it’s beef counterpart, and they don’t take 2 days to make!
Start with a 5# or so slab of pork belly. If the skin is on, you will need to remove it. You’re going to want to cut the pork belly into 1.5-2″ cubes, so I find it easiest to just score the skin into 1.5-2″ strips, cut away the skin, and then finish the cut, removing the strip of pork belly, and trimming the next strip.
Don’t throw out the skin! And don’t worry about cutting away a bit of fat and meat, too. You can turn these into cracklings.
Cut the pork belly into 1.5-2″ squares. Toss in about 2T of olive oil, and then season with your favorite pork seasoning. I use the following rub:
- 1/4 cup brown sugar or Turbinado sugar
- 2 tablespoons sea salt
- 1 tablespoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Arrange the seasoned nuggets on a wire rack and smoke at 225 for about 3-4 hours, or until a good bark forms. While they are cooking, you can prepare your BBQ braising sauce. Take 1C of your favorite BBQ sauce and add it to 4T of melted butter and 1/2C honey.
Next, move the burnt ends into a foil pan and coat them with BBQ braising sauce mix. Cover the pan and return to the grill for 90 minutes. Cook until they get to an internal temperature of 205F. Once done, uncover the pan, stir, and leave on the grill another 30 minutes to tighten up the sauce.
Sounds delicious! The only addition you may want to consider is adding onion powder to your rub.