Are pork belly burnt ends the "best bite in BBQ"? They're pretty close. And these hot honey pork belly burnt ends? Yeah—they're damn good.
What I love about making pork belly burnt ends on the smoker is how easy the process is. Cube up the pork belly, hit it with some seasoning, throw it on the smoker, sauce it, and you're basically done. Let's make some.
WHAT YOU'LL NEED TO MAKE THIS RECIPE
- Pork Belly — I picked up a 10 lb. slab of pork belly from Costco. I then portioned it down to about 3.5 lb. to make the burnt ends.
- Mayonnaise — You guys know I love using mayo as my go-to binder.
- Barbecue Rub — Use your favorite pork rub here. I went with Sweet Preacher by Fire & Smoke Society.
- Brown Sugar — This adds a little caramelized sweetness to the burnt ends.
- Hot Honey — More sweetness, this time with a little kick.
- Butter — The butter melts and helps to glaze the burnt ends.
HOW TO MAKE HOT HONEY PORK BELLY BURNT ENDS
1. Prep the Pork Belly
Again, I started with a 10 lb. slab and portioned it out into three equal pieces, because I was making other recipes with the pork belly. Either way, you'll want to trim any silver skin and excess fat from the pork belly. Then, cut the slab into 1-inch by 1-inch pieces.
2. Season the Pork Belly
Squirt some mayo over the top of the pork belly pieces, hit it with your favorite pork rub, and massage the pieces so the mayo and rub are evenly distributed. While the seasoning adheres and "sweats out" on the pork, preheat your smoker to 250F.
3. Add to Wire Rack
Arrange the pork belly pieces on a wire rack, fat side facing down, like in the picture above.
4. Smoke the Pork Belly
Add the wire rack to your 250F smoker. Smoke the pork belly until they hit an internal temperature of 190F-195F. On my smoker, this took about 3 1/2 hours.
5. Glaze the Pork Belly
Then add the pork belly pieces to an aluminum pan, along with the butter, brown sugar, and hot honey. Cover the pan with foil and return to the smoker.
6. Return to the Smoker
Continue smoking the burnt ends until the internal temperature reaches 205F, which should take about 30 minutes.
7. Rest & Serve
Allow the pork to rest for about 10 minutes—it will be really hot! Then, serve on a plate as-is, and enjoy!
PRO TIPS FOR MAKING THIS RECIPE
- Get a sharp knife. I'm not gonna lie, cutting the pork belly into smaller slabs, and then into 1" pieces, was a *lot* of work. It could have been that my knife was too dull. But I was surprised by the amount of elbow-grease it took to slice up the pork.
- Experiment with the glaze. The brown sugar, butter, hot honey glaze is a good "base" glaze. Meaning, it's a good starting point. But feel free to experiment with your own ideas.
Hot Honey Pork Belly Burnt Ends
Ingredients
- 3.5 lb pork belly cut into 1" pieces
- 1 tbsp mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup BBQ rub
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 3 tbsp hot honey
- 4 tbsp butter
Instructions
- Trim and cube the pork belly into 1-inch pieces.
- Coat pork belly cubes lightly with mayonnaise and season with barbecue rub.
- Arrange on a wire rack and smoke at 250°F for 3 hours, until the internal temperature reaches 190°F.
- Transfer to an aluminum foil pan and top with brown sugar, hot honey, and butter.
- Cover with foil and return to the smoker until the internal temperature reaches 205°F, about 30 minutes.
- Let rest for 10 minutes before serving.
Notes
- Get a sharp knife. I'm not gonna lie, cutting the pork belly into smaller slabs, and then into 1" pieces, was a *lot* of work. It could have been that my knife was too dull. But I was surprised by the amount of elbow-grease it took to slice up the pork.
- Experiment with the glaze. The brown sugar, butter, hot honey glaze is a good "base" glaze. Meaning, it's a good starting point. But feel free to experiment with your own ideas.Â
