Pork Belly Burnt Ends

This one is pretty easy. The hardest part is trimming off the skin, so if you can have your butcher do it for you, even better. If not, use a sharp knife and, well, trim off the skin. Try not to go too deep because you don’t want to remove meat or even much fat. The fat, when rendered, makes it great.

Fire up your smoker to 250 indirect with a fruit wood. Cherry works great for pork belly. I used maple for this one.

Now cut your belly into 1-inch cubes and place into a large bowl or foil pan. Cover with your Lane’s BBQ SPF53 Rub, which is a great rub if you’re looking for heat. Paprika, cayenne, and sriracha powder give it a great kick that pairs perfectly with a sweet sauce. Mix the cubes around to make sure they’re fully covered. Now lay them out onto a wire rack, and when your smoker is up to temp, put them in. I had to build a makeshift second rack to fit them all, and I also put a pan of pit beans underneath them to catch the drippings. That recipe will follow this afternoon.

Let them smoke at 250 for about three hours until they start forming a nice bark and have good color. At this point, get a foil pan and pour a bottle of Cheerwine (pro tip: don’t keep it in the fridge ahead of time because if it’s cold it will affect your smoker temp) and about half a bottle of Lane’s BBQ Kinda Sweet Sauce, stir it together, then use BBQ tongs to put your belly cubes into this liquid. Now drizzle with 2 tablespoons of honey and slice 6 tablespoons of butter into 1 tablespoon pieces and put them on top. Cover with foil and put back into the smoker.

Stir them a couple of times throughout the cook to make sure all cubes get a chance to be in the bath. After about an hour and a half, take them out of the bath and put back onto the smoker rack for about 15 minutes to let those sauces caramelize. At this point, they should be pretty tender, and if they’re around 200-205 internally, they’re ready to eat! If you’re serving at a tailgate or party, you can stick toothpicks in each one so they’re easy to grab and eat. Otherwise, pair them with some pit beans and a cold beer and you’ve got a great meal!

Home•

Pork•

Beef•

Poultry•

Seafood•

Sides•

Dessert•

Rubs