Pit Boss Pork Belly Burnt Ends are the ultimate BBQ appetizer! Seasoned and smoked to get a great bark, then sauced and slow-cooked until super tender and caramelized. We show you how to get them perfect in your pellet grill every time.
Pork Belly is cut from the same piece of meat as bacon. We like to think of it as 3D bacon!
Unlike bacon, pork belly has not been cured or smoked, so it's up to you to do that. In this recipe, the pork belly is treated in 3 stages, similar to our Pit Boss Baby Back Ribs: smoke, wrap, and firm.
The pork belly is cubed, seasoned and smoked to form a delicious bark on the exterior. Then it's braised in brown sugar, butter and honey to render all the fat and make them super tender. Finally, the pork is sauced and caramelized for a candied pork flavor.
We serve these as appetizers, but you could certainly make them the main course!
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Slice and Season
Using a sharp knife, slice the pork belly into cubes. You're aiming for all the cubes to be as close in size as possible so they cook at the same rate.
Season the cubes with your favorite BBQ rubs. We used and combination of Meat Church's The Gospel and Kosmos Q Honey Killer Bee. The pork is not already salted, so you'll want to make sure whatever rub you use has a good amount of salt and that you liberally apply it to the meat.
Once the meat is seasoned, space the cubes out on a wire rack set over an aluminum foil baking sheet. We prefer to do it this way for several reasons. It minimizes cleanup and makes it easy to rotate all of the meat at once.
The rack also allows for airflow (and smoke!) under the pieces of meat.
- 🍒4 Pieces Baking Set - Including 2pcs baking sheet 17.3 x 12.2 x 1 inch and 2pcs cooling rack 16.8 x 11.22 x 0.67 inch
- 🍒Made of high quality 18/0 stainless steel without chemical coating or any other materials. Rust resistant.
Set Up the Grill and Smoker Tube
We have found our Pit Boss to run hot and have addressed the temperature issues with a few modifications. If you are sure your grill is accurate, set your Pit Boss to 270°F. If you are unsure of how accurate your grill is, we recommend smoking the pork belly at 250°F.
To get even more smoke flavor on the pork, we use a smoker tube. Follow our instructions for how to light a pellet tube if you are unfamiliar. Place the lit tube down on the grates and open the exhaust pipe completely to allow air and smoke to flow over the meat.
Video
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Form the Bark
Place the tray of seasoned pork next to the pellet tube so that the smoke will flow over the meat on its way out the exhaust pipe.
Smoke the meat for 3-4 hours, until the fat has started to render and the pieces have developed a nice bark or crust.
We are also looking for a nice color on the outside. We don't want to rush this step.
Braise
Once a nice crust has formed on the pork, transfer the pieces into a clean foil pan. Sprinkle the pork with brown sugar, add slices of butter, and drizzle with honey.
The butter will help prevent the sugar from burning until the fat really starts to render. Tightly cover the pan with aluminum foil and place it back in the grill.
Cook it for about 2 hours, until the meat is very tender and the fat has nicely rendered. You want the meat to be pulling apart when you apply pressure. The fat should not be rubbery but easily pressed.
Sauce and Firm
Transfer the meat into a clean pan and toss in apple cider vinegar and drizzle with BBQ sauce. We used Blues Hog Raspberry Chipotle. We also love their Champions' Blend Sauce.
Place the pan back in the smoker, uncovered, for about 20-30 minutes until the sauce has started to firm and caramelize.
Serve
Since these are small pieces of meat, there's no need to rest them before serving. Serve them warm as an appetizer or main dish.
Storage
Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 3 or 4 days.
📖 Recipe
Pit Boss Pork Belly Burnt Ends
Ingredients
- 4-5 lbs Pork Belly
- ¼ Cup BBQ Rub recommended: Meat Church The Gospel and Kosmos Honey Killer Bee
- ½ Cup Brown Sugar
- 8 tablespoon Butter
- ¼ Cup Honey
- 3 tablespoon Apple Cider Vinegar
- ½ Cup BBQ Sauce recommended: Blues Hog Raspberry Chipotle
Instructions
Prepare the Meat
- Slice the pork belly into cubes.
- Season the meat with your favorite BBQ rubs.
- Arrange the cubes on a wire rack set over an aluminum foil pan, spacing them to ensure airflow around each cube. Set aside while you start up the grill and light the pellet tube, if using.
Start the Grill
- Turn on the Pit Boss and run through the start up cycle. Set the temperature to 270°F if you know your Pit Boss runs true to temperature. Otherwise, set the smoker to 250°F.
- Fill a pellet tube with a combination of pellets and wood chips. Light the tube following the proper steps (see notes) and lay it down on the grates. Open the exhaust pipe as far as it will go.
Form the Bark
- Place the tray of meat in the smoker next to the smoker tube so that the smoke will flow over the meat on its way out the exhaust pipe.
- Smoke the meat for 3-4 hours to form a nice bark on the outside and get some good color on the exterior of the pieces. The fat will have started to render but not be complete yet.
Braise the Meat
- Transfer the cubes to a clean aluminum foil pan.
- Sprinkled the brown sugar over the cubes, top with slices of butter and drizzle with honey.
- Cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil and place it back in the pellet grill.
- Continue to cook the meat for at least 2 more hours, until the meat is completely tender and pulling apart and the fat has rendered.
Sauce and Finish
- Remove the meat to a clean foil pan, leaving behind the grease in the old pan.
- Drizzle the apple cider vinegar and BBQ sauce over the pork, mix to coat, then place the pan back in the pellet grill uncovered.
- Cook for about 30 minutes, until the sauce has begun to caramelize on the meat.
- Serve warm. No need to rest.
Robert says
I'm going to try it tomorrow