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fork with cubed pork belly on a cutting board
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Pork Belly Burnt Ends

Learn how to cook pork belly following my easy Smoked Pork Belly Burnt Ends recipe! Sweet and smoky, these burnt ends earn the name "meat candy"!
Course Main Course
Cuisine American
Keyword pork belly burnt ends, pork belly burnt ends oven recipe, pork belly burnt ends recipe, pork burnt ends
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 3 hours
Resting Time 20 minutes
Total Time 3 hours 30 minutes
Servings 8 to 10 people
Calories 1688kcal
Author Isabel Laessig

Equipment

  • Smoker
  • disposable metal pan

Ingredients

  • 5 ½ Pounds Cubed/Sliced Pork Belly
  • 1 Cup BBQ Sauce
  • 3 Tablespoons Paprika
  • 2 Tablespoons Coarse Sea Salt
  • 2 Tablespoons Pepper

Instructions

  • Preheat the smoker to 225°F. Place pork belly pieces in a disposable metal pan or large bowl.
    5 ½ Pounds Cubed/Sliced Pork Belly
    unseasoned pork belly in a metal dish
  • Combine paprika, salt, and pepper in a small bowl.
    3 Tablespoons Paprika, 2 Tablespoons Coarse Sea Salt, 2 Tablespoons Pepper
    seasoning for pork belly in a bowl
  • Sprinkle the seasoning mixture over the pork belly pieces and toss to coat.
    mixing pork belly with seasoning
  • Line the pork belly up on the smoker grate. Cook for 2.5 hours.
    pork belly on a smoker
  • Remove the pork belly and place in a disposable metal pan. Toss with BBQ sauce.
    1 Cup BBQ Sauce
    adding bbq sauce to pork belly burnt ends in a disposable pan
  • Place the pork belly back in the smoker, still in the disposable pan, and cook for another 30-45 minutes.
    mixing pork belly burnt ends with bbq sauce
  • Allow the pork belly burnt ends to rest for 20 minutes off the heat before serving. Then, enjoy!
    pork belly burnt ends in a metal disposable pan

Notes

Recipe Tips
  • I trimmed off a bit of the fat and you can too if you like. However, I wouldn’t trim all the fat off, as it melts when cooked and adds a ton of flavor to the dish.
  • Burnt ends are difficult to mess up as they have few steps and you don’t have to worry about an internal temperature. However, pork should never be less than 165°F internal temperature. A 3 hour cook time on the smoker is more than enough to properly cook burnt ends.
  • Use whatever BBQ sauce you prefer. I love using Blue’s Hog brand or my own homemade BBQ sauce.
  • I used hickory pellets. However, pecan or apple pellets would also be great for pork belly.
  • When you buy pork belly, it will look like thick strips of bacon. That's the correct meat to buy.
Oven Instructions
Follow these instructions for how to make pork belly in the oven. You won't get the same smoky flavor you would out of a smoker - but you could always add a little liquid smoke if you like.
  1. Preheat oven to 275°F. Grease a baking sheet with a rack with cooking spray.
  2. Place seasoned cubed pork belly fat-side up on the baking sheet rack.
  3. Add the baking sheet to the oven middle rack for 3 hours. Every hour, spritz the pork belly with apple cider vinegar.
  4. After 3 hours, remove the pork belly to a deep baking pan or disposable metal pan. Toss with BBQ sauce of choice.
  5. Add the pork belly back to the oven for another 30 minutes. Let rest for 20 minutes out of the oven, then serve and enjoy!

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 1688kcal | Carbohydrates: 17g | Protein: 30g | Fat: 166g | Saturated Fat: 60g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 18g | Monounsaturated Fat: 77g | Cholesterol: 225mg | Sodium: 2214mg | Potassium: 740mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 12g | Vitamin A: 1412IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 41mg | Iron: 3mg