These pork belly burnt ends are juicy and irresistible chunks of tender pork that have been coated with spices, smoked to perfection, and then tossed with a sticky and sweet sauce. Pork belly is the same cut of meat as bacon, so these are like bigger, crispy, and tender chunk of bacon with a delicious sauce. This is a great recipe to make for a summer bbq or whenever you are hosting because it requires little fuss and makes quite a statement.

delicious piece of pork belly burnt ends made with bbq sauce and pepper jelly.

What are Burnt Ends?

Burnt ends are typically made with the point end of a brisket, and many of you have probably seen this on the menu of a BBQ restaurant. Brisket Burnt Ends take a lot of time to make since you need to first smoke the brisket and then you need to smoke and season the burnt ends. They are so flavorful and sought after but often times are limited on a menu or aren’t always available.

Using pork belly to make burnt ends is a lot easier and because the pork belly has a good amount of fat on it, it never dries out and is really easy to cook even for someone like me who is used to cooking inside on a stove. These pork belly burnt ends will absolutely melt in your mouth. I just started getting into my smoker last summer and my favorite protein to cook by far is pork! I love how forgiving it is and it always comes out great.

What do you need to make Pork Belly Burnt Ends?

Pork Belly – I get my pork belly already pre-cut into strips from Costco. This makes the rest of the process a lot easier since there is limited cutting. I like to cut off a small layer of fat from the top, but other than that the strips are trimmed perfectly. Then I just cut the strips into 1.5-2″ chunks.
BBQ Rub – I used a Kansas City BBQ rub that includes brown sugar, salt, onion, smoked paprika, garlic, tomato powder (for coloring), and natural mesquite smoking flavor. This gives the pork belly a good first layer of flavor.
BBQ Sauce – I used a Carolina BBQ Sauce, which has more of a vinegar taste than traditional tomato based bbq sauce.
Pepper Jelly – Some people use honey other sweetener, but I like using pepper jelly because it gives the perfect sweet and slightly spicy kick. It makes these pork belly burnt ends perfectly delicious and sticky. If you have never had pepper jelly, I like to describe it as “duck sauce from a Chinese restaurant with a little kick to it”
Butter – I always use salted butter but I am sure you can use unsalted for this recipe without a big difference because the sauce and spice rub both have salt. Butter helps balance out the flavors really well.
Aluminum Tray – this makes for easy cleanup. I always keep some of these on hand.

strips of pork belly that i buy at costco

How do you Make Pork Belly Burnt Ends?

Because these pork belly burnt ends are already cut into small pieces, they do not need to cook for a long time, but you still need to cook them low and slow.

Cut: Cut the pork belly into 1.5 – 2″ cubes. Then, I trim a little fat off the top part, but make sure to still leave some. The top layer of fat on pork belly can be a little chewy. Do not cut off too much as the fat is what gives these burnt ends their tender and delicious flavor. Add all of the cubes into a large bowl.

Season: Add olive oil to the pork belly and then using a pre-made BBQ rub, liberally coat all of the pork belly pieces equally. I then line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and then add a rack on top of that. Then, I add the pork belly cubes on top of the rack.

Smoke: I use my electric pellet grill to smoke these burnt ends at 250F for about 2.5 hours or until the internal temperature is 165F.

Sauce: Remove the pork belly from the smoker and add it to a disposable aluminum tray. Add your BBQ sauce and Pepper Jelly and mix well. Add your pats of butter and then cover tightly with aluminum foil.

Smoke Again: Add it to the smoker at 250F for an additional 1.5 hours(or until the internal temperature is 200 – 205F). Mix them around and then smoke uncovered for an additional 15 minutes to caramelize further.

Pork belly cubes added on to a rack in the smoker. This will smoke for a couple of hours and then I will add sauce and smoke it for a little bit longer

After being smoked for an hour and a half, pork belly cubes have a beautiful reddish color and the fat is getting crispy

adding bbq sauce and pepper jelly to my smoked pork belly to make pork belly burnt ends

Best Side dishes for a BBQ

Mexican Street Corn Pasta Salad – This easy Mexican Street Corn Pasta Salad is loaded with creamy dressing, sauteed corn, pasta, lime, and cotija cheese. It takes about 20 minutes to make this delicious meal or side dish!

Warm Kale Pasta Salad – Sauteed garlicky kale, warm orzo, grilled chicken, bacon, and lemon all come together to form this warm kale pasta salad. This is a great weeknight meal that creates delicious leftovers.

Halloumi Salad – The combination of warm crispy cheese plus fresh cucumber and tomato is legendary!

Recipe for Pork Belly Burnt Ends

EQUIPMENT

Smoker I use an electric pellet grill

INGREDIENTS

4.5 lbs pork belly I buy the one at Costco that is already cut into strips for convenience.
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup bbq rub I used a pre-made spice blend that has brown sugar, salt, onion, smoked paprika, garlic, and natural mesquite flavor
1 cup bbq sauce
5 tbsp salted butter
1/3 cup pepper jelly sweet and hot pepper jelly

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat your smoker to 250F
Cut the pork belly into 1.5 – 2″ cubes. Then, I trim a little fat off the top part, but make sure to still leave some. The top layer of fat on pork belly can be a little chewy for my liking so I try to get rid of a little bit. Do not cut off too much as the fat is what gives these burnt ends their tender and delicious flavor. Add all of the cubes into a large bowl.
Add olive oil to the pork belly and then using a pre-made BBQ rub, coat all of the pork belly pieces equally on all sides.
I then line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and then add a rack on top of that. Then, I add the pork belly cubes on top of the rack.
I use my electric pellet grill to smoke these burnt ends at 250F for about 2.5 hours or until the internal temperature is 165F.
Remove the pork belly from the smoker and add it to a disposable aluminum tray. Add your BBQ sauce and Pepper Jelly and mix well. Divide your butter into 5 pieces and add them to your pork belly. Cover tightly with aluminum foil.
Add it to the smoker at 250F for an additional 1.5 hours(or until the internal temperature is 200 – 205F). Mix them around and then smoke uncovered for an additional 15-30 minutes to caramelize further.