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Per serving
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- 1
Trim and cube
Trim the skin and the thickest pads of top fat off the pork belly with a sharp knife. Leave some fat on it renders down and keeps the meat moist, but you don't want a solid cap of it. Cut the belly into 1 1/2-inch cubes. They look big now; they'll shrink to bite size like bacon does. If the belly is slick and hard to cut, freeze it 30 minutes to firm the fat up first.
- 2
Season
Drizzle the cubes with the olive oil so the rub has something to grab. Mix the brown sugar, kosher salt, black pepper, paprika, chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, and cayenne, then coat every side of every cube. Don't be shy this is where the bark comes from.
- 3
Smoke to build bark
Set your smoker to 250 F. Cherry is my go-to here it gives a deep color and a clean sweet smoke; hickory or pecan work if you want it bolder. Arrange the cubes on a wire rack so smoke hits all sides, set it on the grate, and smoke 2 1/2 to 3 hours until they're dark mahogany and a real bark has set. You want color and firmness before they get sauced.
- 4
Braise in the pan
Move the cubes into a disposable foil pan. Add the barbecue sauce, butter, and honey and toss until every piece is coated. Cover the pan tight with foil and put it back on the smoker. Cook another 60 to 90 minutes until the internal temp hits 200 to 205 F. Don't chase the number blind poke one with a toothpick; when it slides in with no resistance, the fat has rendered and they're done.
- 5
Set the glaze and serve
Pull the foil off and run them uncovered another 15 minutes to let the sauce tighten into a sticky glaze. Take them off and serve hot. That's meat candy real bark, rendered fat, sweet-sticky finish. No shortcuts got you there.
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Smoked Pork Belly Burnt Ends
Created by: SmokeRingSteve
Ingredients
- 5 lb pork belly
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 2 tbsp kosher salt
- 1 tbsp black pepper
- 1 tbsp paprika
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1 cup barbecue sauce
- 4 tbsp butter
- 1/3 cup honey
Instructions
- Trim and cubeTrim the skin and the thickest pads of top fat off the pork belly with a sharp knife. Leave some fat on it renders down and keeps the meat moist, but you don't want a solid cap of it. Cut the belly into 1 1/2-inch cubes. They look big now; they'll shrink to bite size like bacon does. If the belly is slick and hard to cut, freeze it 30 minutes to firm the fat up first.
- SeasonDrizzle the cubes with the olive oil so the rub has something to grab. Mix the brown sugar, kosher salt, black pepper, paprika, chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, and cayenne, then coat every side of every cube. Don't be shy this is where the bark comes from.
- Smoke to build barkSet your smoker to 250 F. Cherry is my go-to here it gives a deep color and a clean sweet smoke; hickory or pecan work if you want it bolder. Arrange the cubes on a wire rack so smoke hits all sides, set it on the grate, and smoke 2 1/2 to 3 hours until they're dark mahogany and a real bark has set. You want color and firmness before they get sauced.
- Braise in the panMove the cubes into a disposable foil pan. Add the barbecue sauce, butter, and honey and toss until every piece is coated. Cover the pan tight with foil and put it back on the smoker. Cook another 60 to 90 minutes until the internal temp hits 200 to 205 F. Don't chase the number blind poke one with a toothpick; when it slides in with no resistance, the fat has rendered and they're done.
- Set the glaze and servePull the foil off and run them uncovered another 15 minutes to let the sauce tighten into a sticky glaze. Take them off and serve hot. That's meat candy real bark, rendered fat, sweet-sticky finish. No shortcuts got you there.