Smoked Pork Belly Burnt Ends

Affectionately deemed “meat candy”, these smoked pork belly burnt ends are truly an out of this world BBQ delicacy. This recipe focuses on slow smoking pork belly that’s tossed with a deliciously sweet and tangy BBQ sauce for the perfect indulgent bite!

Why This Recipe Works

Straight Forward & Flavorful: These caramelized little bites of pork belly are slow smoked to flavorful perfection! While this recipe does take some time, it is straightforward and easy. Most of the work is going to be done by your smoker! You can transform pork belly into the perfect BBQ appetizer or snack. You’ll definitely want to share these with friends and family!

Budget-Friendly: It is typical that burnt ends are made from beef brisket, which is super delicious, but not very cheap. These smoked pork belly burnt ends give you the same flavors of classic burnt ends but with the savory, crispy addition of pork!

What Is Pork Belly

Pork belly is the same cut of meat that bacon is made of! Instead of being cut into stripes, this is a large cut of meat that is not cured or smoked like bacon is.

It is called pork belly because it is from the pig’s underside. It typically has some beautiful layers of meat and fat on it! The layers of fat help to keep these smoked pork belly burnt ends from getting dry in the smoker.

Supplies Needed

Smoker
Chef’s Knife
Wire Rack
Aluminum Pan

Ingredients

Pork Belly: Pork belly is a slice of meat that is high in fat, which makes it perfect for smoking for a long period of time to get nice and crispy!
Mustard: Mustard acts as a binder to help the dry rub stick to the meat.
BBQ Dry Rub: You can use your favorite store-bought dry rub, or make a homemade dry rub!
BBQ Sauce: Use your favorite store-bought sauce, or make a homemade BBQ sauce!
Butter: Butter is added along with the sauce to round out the flavors!
Honey: Honey is also added to the sauce to balance out the bold smoky flavors.

Preparation

Prepare the Smoker: Preheat your smoker to 250 F. Use fruit wood like apple or cherry for a milder smoke flavor, or hickory for a stronger smoke flavor. Any style smoker will work for this recipe. If you don’t have a grill you can also do this in the oven or try my air fryer pork belly recipe.
Prepare the Pork Belly: Remove the pork belly from the packaging and pat it dry. Ensure there isn’t any skin on it (If there is you will need to trim and remove this for best results or ask your butcher to). Cut the pork into even strips and then into cubes approximately 1.5-2 inches. I find this size works best for rendering and makes them perfect for a nice bite-sized piece. They will get much smaller as they cook down.
Binder and Rub: Coat the pork belly cubes in a thin even coating of mustard. You can use olive oil or other binder if preferred. Then lightly coat the pork belly cubes in an even layer of BBQ dry rub so all sides are coated. Use a dry rub that you like or try making one from spices you have at home.

steps for prepping pork belly to make burnt ends

How To Smoke Pork Belly Burnt Ends

Smoking: Place the cubes onto a wire rack with a little space between them and then place the rack onto the smoker. This will make it much easier to move on and off the grill while still allowing the smoke to move around the pork. If your smoker is prone to flare-ups you can place a foil pan below the grill grate to catch any dripping fat.
Cook Time: Smoke the pork belly cubes for about 2.5 to 3 hours, or until they reach an internal temperature of 190 F and have a nice bark on the outside. Spray the outside with diluted apple cider vinegar and water ( I usually do a 1/4 ACV to 1 cup H2O) to help build the bark and keep the dry rub moist. This will also allow more smoke to adhere to the meat and add to the overall flavor.
Sauce and Continue Smoking: Once the pork belly cubes are done smoking, place them in an aluminum pan. Pour the sauce, cubed butter, and honey (you can also use brown sugar here but the honey makes a nicer glaze) over the pork belly cubes, ensuring they are well coated. Cover the pan with aluminum foil and return to the smoker. Continue to cook for another 1 to 1.5 hours, or until the pork belly is tender and the sauce has caramelized. At this point smoking is done, you’re just finishing the cook so you could also finish these in the oven as well at the same temperature you have set on your grill.
Serve: Remove the pork belly burnt ends from the smoker and let them rest for a few minutes. Serve hot as an appetizer or main dish. I like to pile mine in a cast iron to keep them hot and serve with some toothpicks. These also are great on buns if you want a pretty epic and rich BBQ sandwich.

Smoking the pork belly burnt ends on the grill and adding sauce

Serving Suggestions

Serve these smoked pork belly burnt ends with all of your favorite BBQ dishes! I think these are super great to serve as an appetizer or serve them with some additional meat and side dishes to have an amazing BBQ feast! Here are some of my favorites to pair with them:

Frequently Asked Questions

What are burnt ends?

Burnt ends are typically made out of the point end of a beef brisket. If you made traditional burnt ends, you have to smoke whole beef brisket, then take off the point end, and then go through the whole smoking and saucing process again. While I love making a beef brisket or even my chuck roast burnt ends, these pork belly burnt ends have a richer flavor and are so easy to make!

How to store leftover pork belly burnt ends?

Store any leftover burnt ends in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days! To reheat, you can pop them in the microwave or air fryer until heated through.

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