Cuttin Up With David

In this Smoked Pork Belly recipe, you will learn how to make Pork Belly Burnt ends on the smoker. This Pork Belly Burnt Ends Recipe is one that is simple to do and will be perfect when you have guests over! I made this on my Traeger, but you can use any grill. Everything you need to know is below.



Ingredients:
- 8lb Pork Belly skin removed
- John Henry’s HOT Pecan Rub�- Woody’s Smokehouse Texas Rib Rub
- ½ cup Honey
- ½ cup Brown Sugar
- 1 ½ sticks Butter sliced

Glaze Ingredients:
- 2 cup Soy Sauce
- 1 cup Brown Sugar
- ½ cup Ketchup
- ½ cup Honey

Tools:
- Smoker - I will be using my Traeger
- Large Cutting Board
- Meat Thermometer
- Knife - A good, sharp knife. I use my 6" Boning Knife.
- Aluminum Foil
- Food Trays

Step by Step:
1. Cut the meat - Aim for 1 ½ - 2 inch cubes of pork belly. By the time they are done, your pork belly burnt ends will be perfectly bite-size. If the pork belly is too slippery to slice easily, stick it in the freezer for 25 minutes so the fat can firm up a bit, then slice it.
2. Rub your meat - Sprinkle generously with your favorite pork rub. Try to cover every piece of pork belly evenly with the rub, then arrange them on a wire cooling and baking rack. This makes it easy to get the cubes of meat on and off the grill and it also allows better smoke circulation than putting the pork belly in a pan for the initial smoke.
3. Smoke your meat - Prepare Traeger pellet grill or other smoker for indirect cooking between 225°F and 250°F using your favorite wood for smoke flavor. Smoke the pork belly for 2 ½ to 3 hours until dark red and a nice bark starts to form.
4. Sauce the meat - Transfer the pork belly cubes to a disposable aluminum pan and add BBQ rub, brown sugar, butter, and honey, stirring to evenly coat the cubes of pork belly. This will create a braising liquid that will give the sticky sweetness that is characteristic of smoked pork belly burnt ends. Return the sauced pork belly to the smoker and cook for another 1 ½ – 2 hours, until the meat reaches 200°F to 205°F when a thermometer is inserted into the middle of one of the burnt ends. The easiest way to really tell if the pork belly burnt ends are done is to test them with a toothpick. If it goes in and comes out easily, the burnt ends are done.
5. Glaze your meat - Drain the liquid from the pan and add the Pork Belly Glaze to the burnt ends. Toss gently to coat each piece and return to the smoker to set the glaze for 10-15 minutes and serve.