Here's my own personal take on pork belly burnt ends, how to prepare them, season them with my original rub and smoke them to perfection. I think you are going to be knocked off your feet at how good these are.. brace yer' selves!
Course Entree
Cuisine Hot Smoking
Prep Time 30 minutesminutes
Cook Time 4 hourshours
Total Time 4 hourshours30 minutesminutes
Servings 6-8
Author Jeff Phillips
Ingredients
5lbPork bellyrind removed
1cupJeff's original rub
½cupHoney
¾cupJeff's original barbecue sauce
¼cupHot pepper jellybarbecue sauce alternative
Instructions
Place the pork belly in the freezer for 30-45 minutes to allow the fat to get really solid so it will cut more easily.
With the pork belly laying in front of you on a cutting board, slice the pork belly into pieces that are about 1.5 inches wide. Further cut the slices into pieces that are 1.5 inches wide giving you cubes of meat that are 1.5 x 1.5 inches square.
Place 1 cup of Jeff's original rub into a large zip top bag and then place 5 lbs of pork belly cubes into the bag. Shake and massage bag to coat the meat with the rub. Pour the coated pieces of meat out onto a cutting board or bowl.
Arrange the pieces of meat onto a cooling rack or Weber grill pan to make them easy to move into and out of the smoker.
Set up your smoker for cooking at about 225°F (107°C) using indirect heat. If your smoker has a water pan, fill it up. When the smoker is ready, place the racks of meat onto the smoker grate and quickly close the lid/door.
Let the meat cook and smoke until a crust forms and the meat cubes reach about 165°F (74°C) as measured by an instant read meat thermometer such as Thermapen.
Place the meat into a foil pan and coat with about ¼ to ⅓ cup of honey and ¼ to ½ cup of Jeff's barbecue sauce per 2 lbs of meat. Optional, you can use hot pepper jelly instead of the barbecue sauce. Mix together to coal the meat.
Cover the pan with foil and place back into he smoker for an additional 60-90 minutes or until the meat reaches 200°F (93°C).
When the pork belly burnt ends are finished cooking, remove the foil and let them cool for a few minutes before serving.