Pork Belly Burnt Ends

Using Sweet Heat BBQ Sauce, and our free spice rub recipe you can whip up a batch of pork belly burnt ends that will leave your friends and family raving. These succulent bites are incredibly tender, bursting with flavor, and surprisingly simple to prepare. This pork belly recipe offers a delightful twist on the traditional brisket burnt ends, earning them the affectionate nickname “meat candy” for a very good reason.

Pork Belly Burnt Ends

Mark Gabrick

Smoked pork belly burnt ends are tender, bursting with flavor and easy to make. Smoke 'em low and slow, then top 'em off with our Sweet Heat barbecue sauce for a bite-size crowd pleaser.

5 from 1 vote

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Prep Time 45

Cook Time 4

Course Appetizer, bar foods

Cuisine American, BBQ, Southern

Servings People

Equipment

1 Sweet Heat BBQ Sauce https://www.gabrickbbq.com/product/sweet-heat/
1 1/2 aluminum pan
1 Smoker + Wood Offset, WSM, UDS or Pellet

Ingredients

1.5 Cups Brown Sugar mix with sauce to create a slurry
5-7 Pounds Whole Pork Belly cut into 1" cubes
1 Bottle Sweet Heat BBQ Sauce or Candy Jalapeno
1/3 Cup Sweet Heat Spice Rub Free recipe

Instructions

Cube Pork Belly into 1" squares
Evenly coat with spice rub.
See recipe link: https://www.gabrickbbq.com/2020/12/16/all-purpose-sweet-and-spicy-bbq-rub-recipe/
Place on a wire rack, or directly on grate and trasfer to pre-heated smoker. On our off-set we like to cook around 275º-300. Every smoker is different so operate in the sweet spot produces the most consistent heat and cleanest smoke.
Cook for several hours, turning over if needed for more even cooking. You'll be looking for the cubes to shrinken and develope a light bark. Around the 165-175º internal range they should start to become more squishy. Fat will also begin to appear translucent.
You'll need to do this by eye and feel but around 185-190º you can begin to remove from smoker and toss in the BBQ sauce glaze. You're mixing one bottle of sweet heat bbq sauce to 1.5 cups of brown sugar +/-. Coat evenly with sauce and place back in smoker, except this time in an aluminum pan.
Pork Belly Bites will start to take on a beautful color and begin to caramelize. Turn occasionally for even caramalization. You'll know their done when they are sticky and fall apart tender from being pinched.
Safety: Always wear cotton knit gloves and then overlay in a rubber nitrile glove to protect your hands from the heat of the sugary glaze. These will be hot to touch.