If you’re looking for an insanely new delicious recipe, Smoked Pork Burnt Ends with hot, spicy honey is it! Who can have just one piece of spicy sweet pork candy? Not me. This crowd-pleaser, soon to be your favorite recipe, is perfect for game day or poker night.
The best pork burnt ends are easy to achieve in your backyard smoker. It’s a long cooking process, admittedly, but crispy pork caramelized with honey and my FYR GLD Hot Sauce is always worth the wait. Just looking at it, you already know … it’s so freakin’ delicious!
Table of Contents
- Why You’ll Love Smoked Pork Burnt Ends with Spicy Honey
- Pork Burnt Ends Ingredients
- This sauce is FYR!
- The Secret to Perfect Smoked Pork
- How to Make Smoked Pork Belly Burnt Ends
- What to Serve with Hot Honey Pork Belly Burnt Ends
- Leftovers & Reheating
- More Burnt Ends
- FAQs
- Flavor X Fire & FOOD X Fire
- Smoked Pork Burnt Ends Recipe
Why You’ll Love Smoked Pork Burnt Ends with Spicy Honey
This easy recipe turns pork belly cubes into little culinary masterpieces. In other words, when it comes to “What should I make on the smoker today?” this pork recipe is always a good idea.
If it’s your first time making them, it won’t be your last. They are an irresistible flavor explosion and a great way to please a hungry crowd. The great thing about this recipe is that they taste amazing the day you make them, and maybe even better the next day.
Pork Burnt Ends Ingredients
- Pork – Pork belly cubed slathered in yellow mustard and seasoned with Bourbon Brown Ale Rub. My Big Bad BBQ Ale Rub for the dry rub or one of your favorite spice rubs will also work.
- Crutch – This braising liquid with butter, brown sugar, BBQ sauce, and honey gets some added heat from my FYR GLD Hot Sauce. This sweet and spicy sauce is what turns the burn ends into meat candy.
Get stoked for life
This sauce is FYR!
Born from a deep passion for food and flavor. Whether you’re grilling in the backyard or live fire cooking around the world, we have what you need to transform every meal into an adventure.
With such amazing ingredients, only good things can come. Next, I’ll show you the easy steps to make the magic happen.
The Secret to Perfect Smoked Pork
The best way to achieve pork belly recipe perfection is to follow the timing of the pork, not the recipe card. In other words, some pork cooks fast, some slow.
For this recipe, you’ll want to have a meat thermometer handy to know when the cubed pork belly hits 165 degrees F. That’s when even more fun begins when the cubes of pork belly are further tenderized in that spicy, sweet crutch.
If you love this burnt ends recipe, you’re probably gonna love these too: Crispy Pork Belly Burnt Ends, Brisket Burnt Ends, Pastrami Pork Belly Burnt Ends, Smoked Bologna Burnt Ends, and Maple Bourbon Pork Belly Burnt Ends.
How to Make Smoked Pork Belly Burnt Ends
Prep
Alright, let’s break down this easy, straightforward recipe. First things first, grab your sharp knife and then slice that pork belly into 2-inch chunks.
Now, slather them in yellow mustard and then generously season them with my Bourbon Brown Ale Rub. Lay out the tasty cubes on a baking wire rack, and then let them rest at room temperature.
Smoking Time
Next, you’ll need a preheated smoker that is set to a medium-low and slow heat of 250° degrees F. Throw in some wood chips or chunks for some extra smoky goodness. Time to introduce your pork belly to the smoker. They will stay on the baking wire rack for maximum crispiness. Go ahead and let the pork pieces smoke for about 2.5 hours.
Once the seasoned pork cubes hit the 160-180° degrees F mark, throw them into an aluminum foil pan, and pile on some butter, BBQ sauce, FYR GLD Hot Sauce, brown sugar, and honey. Add a foil cover and let it do its thing for another 1.5 hours. Or, wait until the pork reaches a minimum internal temperature of 205° degrees F.
When your pork belly pieces are cooked, uncover them, toss out any extra liquid, and pop them back into the smoker. Add more BBQ sauce, honey, and FYR GLD Hot Sauce. Leave the tray open this time to let the sugars caramelize around the fat for a solid 15 minutes. Once that’s done, take the crispy pork belly pieces off the smoker and let them cool for 5 minutes.
After the short but endless wait, serve them up and enjoy!
What to Serve with Hot Honey Pork Belly Burnt Ends
If you can get past just snacking on them, the pork belly burnt ends can be the start of a hearty and flavorful feast. Serve them with cornbread, smoky baked beans, and your favorite macaroni and cheese recipe.
Leftovers & Reheating
If you happen to have any leftovers, store them in an airtight container for 3-5 days. Pork belly tacos, anyone? With some crunchy slaw and a drizzle of your favorite barbecue sauce, your taste buds will thank you.
More Burnt Ends
FAQs
Sure! Why not? You can absolutely substitute maple syrup for honey in this recipe. Check out my other recipe, Maple Bourbon Pork Belly Burnt Ends.
The pork belly, located on the underside of the pig, is prized for its rich marbling and layer of fat, making it a versatile and flavorful cut. Due to its tenderness and ability to develop crispy textures, it’s the perfect cut for pork belly burnt ends.
While pork belly is the classic choice for smoking burnt ends, you can experiment with other cuts like beef brisket. Check out my Brisket Burnt Ends recipe to explore this great idea further!
Get The Cookbooks!
Flavor X Fire & FOOD X Fire
All the major tastes—salty, sour, sweet, bitter, and umami—are explored in depth, along with an investigation of other components you should consider when it comes to flavor, such as aroma, heat, and texture.
Smoked Pork Burnt Ends
Ingredients
Pork Belly:
- 2 lbs Pork Belly cubed
- ¼ cup Sticky Bourbon Brown Ale Rub
- ¼ cup Yellow Mustard
Crutch:
- 2 Sticks Butter unsalted and cut into cubes
- 1/2 cup Brown Sugar
- 1/2 cup BBQ Sauce
- 2.5 tbsp FYR GLD Hot Sauce
- 2.5 tbsp Honey
Instructions
- Start by cubing your pork belly into 2” cubes.
- Next, start slathering your cubed pork belly with yellow mustard then thoroughly season with my Sticky Bourbon Brown Ale Rub.
- Place your pork belly on a baking wire rack evenly spaced out and set aside.
- Preheat your smoker for medium-low heat (250 degrees F). Top with wood chips or wood chunks for added smoke flavor.
- Add your pork belly to the smoker and cook for 2.5 hours.
- Once they are around 160-180 degrees F, pull them off and place them in an aluminum foil pan & top with butter, BBQ sauce, FYR GLD Hot Sauce, brown sugar, and honey.
- Cover with foil and place back in the smoker for 1.5 hours or until they reach an internal temperature of 205 degrees F.
- Once the pork belly is done, open it up and discard any excess liquid.
- Place back on the smoker and add bbq sauce, honey, and FYR GLD. Leave uncovered to caramelize for 15 minutes.
- Once done, pull off and let cool for 5 minutes and enjoy!
