Pork Belly Burnt Ends

4.55 from 20 votes

🐷🖤😍 Crispy, sticky, sweet-and-savory pieces of pork belly are grilled to burnt ends “perfection”! The pork is moist, tender, and everyone goes crazy for it so double the recipe! Perfect for Memorial Day, Fourth of July, Labor Day, game day parties, or as a special weeknight treat for your family!

Prep Time10

Cook Time3 20

Additional Time30

Total Time4

Course: Dinner, Pork

Cuisine: Pork

Keyword: grilled pork, pork belly, pork belly burnt ends, pork belly burnt ends recipe

Servings: servings

Calories: 1077cal

Author: Averie Sunshine

Equipment

1 outdoor (gas) grill (or outdoor smoker)
1 half sheet pan with wire rack (or disposable pan)
1 disposable foil pan (if not using a half sheet pan)
1 apple wood chips as desired to wrap in foil, step 1 below

Ingredients

Heaping handful wood chips optional but recommended

Dry Rub

½ cup light brown sugar packed
2 tablespoons smoked paprika
4 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
4 pounds pork belly cubed in large-ish bite-sized pieces* (See Notes)

Barbecue Sauce Mixture

1 cup Sweet Baby Ray’s Barbecue Sauce or your favorite
3 tablespoons unsalted butter cubed small or sliced thin
2 tablespoons light brown sugar packed

Instructions

Optionally, if you're going to use wood chips (I use apple wood chips, although hickory, cherry, or another variety is fine), soak them in water for 30 minutes. Blot them dry and add a large handful to a big sheet of aluminum foil and make a packet, leaving the top space open so that the smoke from the wood chips can escape.
Preheat your outdoor grill or smoker to 250F on one side only.
If using, place your wood chip packet on top of the hot side.
Dry Rub - Combine all ingredients (except the pork belly) and stir to combine.
To a large bowl, add the cubed pork belly, evenly sprinkle the dry rub, and then press it into all sides of the pork.
Place the coated pork onto a half sheet pan with wire rack and use the rack portion of it only (or old half sheet pan lined with foil) and place the rack on the cold side (non-flame side) of the grill. For me this is the front side since the back sie is where I have the flame. Close the lid and cook (or smoke) for 2 hours.
Using tongs, transfer the pork into a disposable 9x13-inch aluminum pan (or old 9x13-inch normal pan lined with foil).
Turn the heat up to 290F, place the aluminum pan on the cold side of the grill, close the lid, and cook (or smoke) for 1 hour.
Barbecue Sauce Mixture
Meanwhile, in a small bowl, add the barbecue sauce, brown sugar, and stir to combine.
After the 1 hour cooking time, evenly drizzle the barbecue sauce mixture over the pork.
Add the butter around the pork, cover the pan with foil, turn the heat up to 305F, and cook directly on the hot side (over the flame) of the grill for 20 minutes. Remove and serve immediately. Pork belly will keep airtight in the fridge for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 4 months, noting it will lose its crispiness after being cooled and reheated.

Notes

*When selecting pork belly, the fattier the better. The fat renders out leaving behind beautifully chewy, crispy yet tender burnt pork ends.

When cubing the pork belly, cube it in large-ish bite-sized pieces. After cooking for hours, it definitely reduces in size so don't start out with something too small at the onset or you'll end up with dried out little Chiclets.

The fatty part of brisket may be substituted in place of pork belly although I strongly suggest sticking with pork belly.

Nutrition