“Bacon is just another word for meat candy!”
Smoked Pork Belly Burnt Ends
Traditionally, burnt ends are flavorful pieces of meat cut from the “point” half of a smoked beef brisket and they are considered a delicacy in barbecue cooking. Pork belly is a boneless cut of fatty meat from the belly of a pig; bacon is made from this cut of meat. Un-traditionally, burnt ends made from pork belly are quite possibly the best thing you will every eat. They are little chewy pieces of candied bacon goodness!
Ingredients
Instructions
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Slice your pork belly into cubes no smaller than 1-inch, but not much larger than 1 ½ -inch. Coat each cube with your favorite BBQ rub. You can try a homemade rub or use your favorite commercial rub. Allow to set for at least 30 minutes or prepare the day before, place in a plastic bag and refrigerate overnight.
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Preheat your smoker to 220°F to 250°F
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Place the pork belly fat-side down onto a wire rack or mesh mat. This is so that the small chunks of pork belly don’t fall through the grids. Lay the pork belly out in a single layer with a little space between each chunk.
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Spritz with apple juice about every 30-45 minutes. After 3 hours transfer the pork belly chunks (they should be about IT 190°F) to a foil pan or baking pan. Add the BBQ sauce, butter, honey, and brown sugar; stir/toss until all the pieces are well coated. Cover the top with foil and return to the smoker for another hour until the internal temperature of the pork belly chunks has reached 200°F to 205°F.
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Uncover and cook for another 15 minutes, until the sauce thickens and caramelizes to a sweet and sticky consistency. Remove from the smoker and allow to rest for 15 minutes.
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Serve the pork belly burnt ends (at room temp or slightly warm) as little melt-in-your-mouth appetizers at parties, or as a side to a large leafy salad.
Serving Size 5 pieces
Servings 8
- Amount Per Serving
- Calories 490kcal
- % Daily Value *
- Total Fat 39g60%
- Saturated Fat 16g80%
- Cholesterol 80mg27%
- Sodium 899mg38%
- Potassium 79mg3%
- Total Carbohydrate 26g9%
- Sugars 17g
- Protein 16g32%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily value may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
Note
NONNUTRITIOUS APPRISAL ... This, in my humble opinion, is one of those dishes that goes beyond delicious and even surpasses scrumptious. Unfortunately, when something is that good, we typically find something "not good" as Adam and Eve discovered with the proverbial apple! The "not good" in this dish is: (1) calories, (2) cholesterol, (3) total fat, (4) saturated fat, (5) sodium. I will say that it is high in protein but that isn't enough to offset the negatives.
I truly hope you will try this dish and, when you do I know you will enjoy it as much as I do ... just don't over-indulge!