Pork Belly Burnt Ends
Cook Notes
Cooking Method: Low & Slow
BBQ Used: Weber 57cm Kettle
Charcoal Setup: Snake Method
BBQ Temperature: Approx 125-135C
Smoking Wood Used: 2 Chunks of Cherry Wood
Ingredients
1KG Good Quality Pork Belly
'Sweet Bones and Butts' rub from Angus & Oink
'The General' BBQ Rub from Angus & Oink
1/2 Cup light brown sugar
200gram butter, cubed
2-3 tbsp honey
approx 200ml Apple & Whiskey BBQ Sauce from The Smokin Yankees Belfast
Method
1. Prepare the Pork Belly
For this pork belly burnt ends recipe you will want to remove the skin from your pork belly. Once removed, cut the pork belly into cubes a little larger than 1 inch by 1 inch. Cut them slightly larger than the final size you want as they will shrink a lot during the cook. Once cubed, place them in a tray and give them a generous coating of both rubs.
If you have a wire rack, you can spread the belly cubes evenly on this and it will make it much easier to transfer them to the BBQ. If you don't have a wire rack, you can thread the cubes on to some skewers, keeping a space between them so the smoke will get all sides of the cubes.
2. Get your BBQ Ready
For this cook I used my Weber 57cm Kettle but they will work well on a smoker too. I setup a 2x2 snake using Weber Briquettes and added 10 lit briquettes at the beginning to start it. Close the lid and allow the temperature to stabilise at 125-135C.
If you aren't sure how to setup the snake method in your kettle BBQ, you can find more info in this video.
3. Smoke the Pork Belly
Place the pork belly cubes on the BBQ opposite the coals so they are cooking in an indirect heat and add two chunks of cherry wood to the start of the snake. Maintain your BBQ temperature for around 2 - 2 1/2 hours, trying to avoid opening the lid of your BBQ.
4. Braising the Pork Belly
After the initial smoke, take the pork belly off the BBQ and remove it from the skewers. Place the cubes in a roasting tray and add the sugar, butter and honey. Cover the tray with foil and place it back onto the BBQ.
As the pork belly burnt ends continue to cook, the fat will render from it and mix with the sugar, honey and butter forming the braising liquid.
Braise the pork belly burnt ends for 3 1/2 hours until they are soft and tender.
5. Adding the sauce
When the Pork Belly Burnt Ends have finished braising, lift the tray off the BBQ. Remove any excess braising liquid so you are left with just the pork belly burnt ends in the tray. Cover the pork belly burnt ends with the Apple & Whiskey BBQ sauce and give them a toss to make sure they are all covered.
If you would like to get your hands on some of the Smokin Yankees Sauce - you can get in touch with the guys through their Facebook page.
Leave the tray uncovered and place it back onto the BBQ for 15-20 minutes to allow the sauce to set.
Time to eat!
When the sauce has set, it's time to serve up. These are a brilliant party snack on their own or they are great served in a toasted brioche finger roll with a tangy slaw. Jim from the Smokin Yankees gave me another little pro tip - he loves them on top of some Nachos! Talk about snack goals!
