Today, we’re tackling a classic: pork belly burnt ends with maple and bourbon. Cooking this meat candy over fire is a true backyard tradition! We slowly smoke these freakin’ delicious pork belly cubes over hot Cowboy Charcoal until tender, then caramelize them with butter, sugar and BBQ sauce for a nice sweet crisp. This dish is a great idea for a backyard barbecue or as part of your game day spread!
In this pork belly recipe, we’ll cube the meat into bite-sized pieces. Just not too small, because they will shrink a decent amount during smoking. Cutting the pork belly into pieces is the best way to help the meat break down more slowly, and the fat renders nicely into crispy pork belly burnt ends.
Using Cowboy Charcoal for this process is ideal since it leaves low residue, keeps a consistent heat, and smells fantastic. It’s my go-to for an open-fire recipe! Plus, it’s super clean, so much so that I even feel confident using it in my smoked butter and smoked chimichurri recipes.
Post sponsored by Cowboy Charcoal
Table of Contents
- Why You’ll Love Pork Belly Burnt Ends with Maple and Bourbon
- Pork Belly Burnt Ends Ingredients
- Why Are They Called Burnt Ends?
- How to Make Pork Belly Burnt Ends with Maple and Bourbon
- What to Serve with Pork Belly Burnt Ends
- For More Pork Belly
- Leftovers and Reheating
- FAQs
- Flavor X Fire & FOOD X Fire
- Pork Belly Burnt Ends with Maple and Bourbon Recipe
Why You’ll Love Pork Belly Burnt Ends with Maple and Bourbon
Pork belly is another level of flavor. This luscious cut of meat is exactly as described: meat from the underside of the pig. Also, if it’s your first time working with pork belly — yes, this is the same place that bacon comes from! In fact, pork belly is just uncured and unsmoked bacon that we use to make bite-sized pieces of savory meat candy.
We add flavor to our pork belly burnt ends recipes throughout the cooking process thanks to a homemade BBQ sauce, brown sugar, and butter. If you love bacon (especially the maple kind), I promise you’ll love these pork belly burnt ends. These meat cubes are just bursting with flavor!
For more recipes with my Maple Bourbon Seasoning, check out Bourbon Bacon Chicken Wings, Maple Bourbon Smoked Salmon, and Maple Gochujang Rotisserie Ribs.
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Pork Belly Burnt Ends Ingredients
- Pork Belly: To season our cubed pork belly, we start with a dry rub of my Maple Bourbon Seasoning, then top them with butter and brown sugar as they finish smoking.
- BBQ Sauce: To dial up the flavor on these pork belly burnt ends, we add maple syrup and bourbon to Cowboy Prairie Fire BBQ Sauce. Feel free to use your favorite barbecue sauce here!
Why Are They Called Burnt Ends?
Burnt ends traditionally come from smoked brisket. Since a proper brisket has a lot of fat, it takes hours in the smoker to get deliciously tender and develop a nice bark. This process meant the ends would cook faster than the rest of the brisket and get crispy. And there you have it: burnt ends.
According to Kansas City barbecue legend, pitmasters used to cut the ends from the brisket and give these meat treats away for free! But, when people started lining up just for the burnt ends, they became the sought-after mouthwatering dish we use today.
We use the term here for slow-cooked, caramelized cubes of meat, even if they’re not coming from a brisket point. The pork belly version is still so freakin’ delicious. I’ve got lots more ideas for burnt ends in this recipe roundup. Give them a try and let me know your favorite!
How to Make Pork Belly Burnt Ends with Maple and Bourbon
Start by using a sharp knife to cube 2 pounds of pork belly into bite-sized pieces. Then, slather your pieces of pork belly with oil and thoroughly season with my Maple Bourbon seasoning or your favorite pork rub. Place the seasoned pork belly pieces in the fridge for 1-2 hours.
Using Cowboy Charcoal, fill one chimney full of coals, light, and let preheat your smoker for low heat (250 degrees Fahrenheit). You can also top those embers with 1-2 Cowboy Hickory Pit Logs for extra smoky flavor.
Add your pork cubes onto the preheated smoker and cook for 2.5 hours. Once the cubes of pork belly are done, pull them off the smoker, place them in an aluminum disposable pan, and top with six tablespoons butter and 1/2 cup brown sugar. Place the aluminum foil pan back in the smoker for 1.5 hours or until the pork belly’s internal temperature on an instant-read thermometer hits 205 degrees F.
Heat up 1/3 cup BBQ sauce, along with two tablespoons maple syrup and two tablespoons bourbon. Simmer the sweet sauce over low heat until it thickens (about 10 minutes). Then, slather your smoked pork belly in BBQ sauce, crank up the heat in the smoker, and let that meat candy caramelize for 5-10 minutes.
Remove the pork belly burnt ends with maple and bourbon from the smoker, serve and enjoy!
What to Serve with Pork Belly Burnt Ends
Burnt ends are the definition of BBQ, so I like classic sides here. Potato salad, cornbread (or white bread), coleslaw, baked beans, collard greens, or macaroni are a great way to round out your meal.
For More Pork Belly
Leftovers and Reheating
If you have any smoked pork belly burnt ends left, wrap them in aluminum foil and then store them in an airtight container for 3-5 days in the refrigerator. Then, reheat them in the oven at 350 degrees F for about 10-15 minutes. Any leftover barbecue sauce will keep in the fridge in an airtight container for a couple weeks.
FAQs
Check with your local butcher! You can also find pork belly at your local grocery store.
If you don’t have any bourbon at home, you can use rum or brandy, though the flavor will be slightly different. If you’re looking for a nonalcoholic substitute, apple cider vinegar is your best bet.
Cowboy Charcoal is the best stuff around, so it’s easy to find at your local hardware store or other retailer. Check out the company’s store locator for more info. You can also buy online!
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Pork Belly Burnt Ends with Maple and Bourbon
Ingredients
Pork Belly:
- 2 lbs Pork Belly cubed
- Maple Bourbon Seasoning or your favorite pork rub
- ½ cup Brown Sugar
- 6 tbsp Butter
- Oil as needed
BBQ Sauce:
- ⅓ cup Cowboy Prairie Fire BBQ Sauce or your favorite bbq sauce
- 2 tbsp Maple Syrup
- 2 tbsp Bourbon
Instructions
- Start by lathering your cubed pork belly with oil then thoroughly season with my Maple Bourbon seasoning or your favorite pork rub.
- Set in the fridge for 1-2 hours.
- Using Cowboy Charcoal, fill one chimney full of coals, light and let preheat for your smoker for low heat (250F).
- Top the hot coals with 1-2 Cowboy Hickory Pit Logs for added smoke flavor.
- Add your pork belly onto the smoker and cook for 2.5 hours.
- Once done, pull off and place in an aluminum foil pan & top with butter and brown sugar.
- Place back in the smoker for 1.5 hours or until they are 205F internal.
- Heat up your bbq sauce along with the maple syrup and bourbon.
- Simmer over low heat until thick (about 10 minutes).
- Lather your pork belly in bbq sauce, crank up the heat in the smoker and let caramelize for 5-10 minutes.
- Pork Belly Burnt Ends is ready, now pull out of the smoker and enjoy!
Looks yummy
I did this on my Traeger using competition blend pellets(I don’t have charcoal) and it was AMAZING! I should have reduced my sauce a little more, but seriously great flavor! Thanks for the inspiration!
Outstanding recipe. Its so delicious. I’m keeping this one for sure. A must try if you haven’t.
Outstanding taste and flavor. It definitely, hands down deserves more stars. I will not use any other recipe but this one.
Awesome
This is a staple in my home now. Great dish for main course or just finger food.
Grandson made the burnt ends using a chuck roast, my oh my what flavor! Almost sinful!!
Finally a decent video on how to BBQ Pork Belly Burn Ends. You showed every step perfectly and “quickly”, right down to the BBQ itself. This is exactly what I will do. Thanks so very much for this.
Darlene in Nova Scotia
Thanks, Darlene! We can’t wait to see you’re version. Cheers,
I’ve made these a few times and they are always a hit amongst party goers. These things are DELICIOUS!! If you’ve never made them you have to try it!
Did you take the skin off the pork belly
Yes we did!