Pork Belly Burnt Ends
Cubes of pork belly smoked until tender then glazed sweet and sticky — meltingly rich, candy-like bites.
Ingredients
- 800 g pork belly, skin removed
- 2 tbsp BBQ rub
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- 2 tbsp butter
- 2 tbsp honey
- 120 ml BBQ sauce
- Apple or hickory wood
Method
- 1
Cut the pork belly into 4 cm cubes and toss with the BBQ rub.
- 2
Smoke at 120°C (250°F) over apple until bronzed and the internal temperature is about 88°C (190°F) — roughly .
- 3
Transfer the cubes to a foil tray and toss with the brown sugar, butter and honey. Cover with foil.
- 4
Return to the smoker for 1–1½ hours until probe-tender.
- 5
Uncover, stir through the BBQ sauce and cook a final 20– to set the glaze.
- 6
Rest briefly — they're searingly hot — then serve.
Notes
- The foil-and-butter braise is what makes them melt.
- A pork-belly take on Kansas City's beef burnt ends.