I cooked this recipe up at Memphis in May and it was a big hit. Try it for yourself for a family dinner, a party, or for a tailgate. It’s a simple but tasty take on burnt ends.
My Pork Belly Burnt End Recipe
You may not cook pork belly as much as you might make other staples like steak and ribs. Don’t count them out! People love the taste of a good burnt end. This recipe is a simple, mouthwatering appetizer you could take to a party or serve at a picnic.
The Ingredients
- Pork Belly.
- Heath Riles BBQ Everyday Rub. This is your traditional salt and pepper…only they brought a few tasty friends with them.
- Heath Riles BBQ Hot BBQ Rub. I chose this to give my pork belly burnt ends a kick of heat.
- Heath Riles BBQ Sweet BBQ Sauce. This zesty, saucy goodness will be a delicious addition to the other spices in this recipe.
- Heath Riles BBQ Tangy Vinegar BBQ Sauce. With its sweet tanginess, this sauce is the Sweet BBQ Sauce’s very best friend.
The Equipment Setup
I fired up my Traeger Pellet Grill with Traeger Cherry Pellets to 275 degrees F.
The Process for Making Pork Belly Burnt Ends
I shot a video of this recipe from beginning to end. Head over to my Youtube channel if you want to see it in action.
- Prep the meat. The pork belly was stored in my YETI Tundra 65 Hard Cooler, so I took it out, unpackaged it, dried if off, and laid it on a cutting board. Starting by cutting it into strips, I worked on it until I had it all cut into cubes.
- Season the pork belly. My award-winning Everyday Rub was the first spice I sprinkled on the cubes. A mix of salt, pepper, and a few other ingredients, this rub adds flavor to the meat that will shine through once its cooked. Next up was my Hot Rub to give this recipe an exciting kick of heat on the backend. I went pretty heavy on the seasoning, then took my hands and mixed the meat with the spices until every piece was covered.
- Rack it up. I sprayed my racks and laid the chunks of pork belly fat-side-up on the racks. If you lay it fat-side-down, the meat will stick.
- Place on the grill. I had my Traeger Pellet Grill pre-heated to 275 degrees F. I placed the rack of pork belly burnt ends on the grates and closed the lid.
- Cook for 2 ½-3 hours. Letting the Traeger work its magic, I left the meat to cook until it got to a 200 degree F internal temperature and the fat was rendered.
- Mix the sauce. Mixing my Sweet BBQ Sauce and Tangy Vinegar BBQ Sauce created a unique sauce for these pork belly burnt ends that set off the entire taste profile. I heated it up while the meat was grilling.
- Remove and sauce the pork belly. Once they were ready, I took the racks off the grill and poured the burnt ends into a big aluminum pan. Taking my heated sauce, I poured it directly onto the meat, tossed it until every piece was covered, and put the whole pan back on the grill for about 30 minutes to tack the glaze up.
- Add a toothpick, and devour. I brought these off the grill a final time, popped toothpicks in them, and set them out for everyone to taste.
The Results
These burnt ends turned out incredibly good. They were tender, juicy, with just the right amount of savoriness, sweetness, and a punch of heat on the backend. The mixture of my two sauces added to the delicious flavor. This one was a big win!
Serving Suggestions for Pork Belly Burnt Ends
I always put them on a platter, stick toothpicks in them, and serve them as an appetizer.
Storing It
These keep well in an airtight bowl in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Equipment and Tools
Traeger Pellet Grill, Traeger Cherry Pellets, Thermapen Mk4 , Large Aluminum Pans , Large Knife, Stainless Steel Wire Racks , BBQ Guru Disposable Cutting Boards, Nitrile gloves, Toothpicks, YETI Tundra 65 Hard Cooler
