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pork belly burnt ends
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Pork Belly Burnt Ends in an Electric Smoker

These pork belly burnt ends made in an electric smoker are seasoned and smoked, steamed until tender, and then sauced. They are a huge crowd pleaser!
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 5 hours 30 minutes
Total Time 6 hours
Servings 10
Calories 1351kcal
Author Meghan Martigan
Cost $25

Equipment

  • 1 Electric Smoker

Ingredients

  • 5 lbs Pork Belly
  • 3 tablespoon BBQ Rub such as Meat Church Gospel and Three Little Pigs
  • ½ Cup Dark Brown Sugar
  • 8 tablespoon Butter sliced into 8 pieces
  • ¼ Cup Honey
  • ½ Cup BBQ Sauce such as Blues Hog Champions' Blend

Instructions

Prepare the Pork Belly

  • Cut the pork belly with a sharp knife into evenly sized cubes, about 1 to 1.5 inches wide.
    5 lbs Pork Belly
    a gloved hand holding up a cube of raw pork belly
  • Season the meat evenly on all sides with a BBQ rub containing salt, mixing around to coat.
    3 tablespoon BBQ Rub
    Meat Church The Gospel rub being sprinkled over chunks of raw pork belly
  • Set the meat aside for 20-30 minutes to let the seasoning set up on the outside of the meat while you get the smoker started.  
    an aluminum foil pan of raw pork belly cubes seasoned with BBQ rub

Start the Smoker

  • Set the smoker temperature to 265°F. You will want to use a water pan for this stage to keep the cooking chamber moist.
  • Fill the wood chips in the wood tray.
  • Lightly oil the grates so the meat doesn't stick. 

Step 1: Smoke

  • Once the smoker is up to temperature and making smoke, put the pork belly cubes in the smoker spaced evenly with the fat side up where possible.
    cubes of seasoned pork belly on the grates of an electric smoker
  • Smoke the meat for about 2.5 - 3 hours. The cubes should have a nice dark color with the bark set in place.
    pork belly chunks smoking inside an electric smoker
  • At this point, they will be softer but not yet falling apart because a lot more fat still needs to render. Once this occurs, it's time to wrap the meat.

Stage 2: Wrap

  • Place the cubes in a single layer in 1 or 2 foil pans, sprinkle with the brown sugar, place the slices of butter on top, and drizzle with the honey.
    ½ Cup Dark Brown Sugar, 8 tablespoon Butter, ¼ Cup Honey
    pork belly pieces with brown sugar and butter and honey
  • Cover in the pans in foil and place them back in the smoker.
    disposable aluminum foil pans covered with foil in an electric smoker
  • Continue cooking the meat for about 2 more hours.
  • You are looking for the meat to be very soft and falling apart because more of the fat has rendered. After 2 hours, we recommend performing a "taste test." If the fat is still chewy, put the covered pans back in the smoker for another 20 minutes.

Stage 3: Sauce

  • Once the fat has rendered enough so that the meat is soft and falling apart, remove the pans from the smoker. Take the cubes of meat out of the melted fat and butter and place them in a new, clean foil pan.
  • Drizzle the meat with BBQ sauce. Toss to coat all sides. Taste a small piece to make sure there's enough salt and adjust accordingly.
    ½ Cup BBQ Sauce
    pork belly chunks in a foil pan being drizzled with BBQ sauce
  • Place the pan back in the smoker, uncovered, with the smoker vents open for 30 minutes to get the sauce to firm up and get tacky.
    foil pan filled with pork belly burnt ends covered in BBQ sauce
  • Serve immediately.
    pork belly burnt ends finished and sauced

Nutrition

Serving: 4oz | Calories: 1351kcal | Carbohydrates: 24g | Protein: 22g | Fat: 129g | Saturated Fat: 50g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 13g | Monounsaturated Fat: 58g | Trans Fat: 0.4g | Cholesterol: 187mg | Sodium: 296mg | Potassium: 483mg | Fiber: 0.3g | Sugar: 22g | Vitamin A: 366IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 40mg | Iron: 2mg