Pork Belly Burnt Ends – Averie Cooks

Pork Belly Burnt Ends – 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! 

Pork Belly Burnt Ends Recipe

This grilled pork recipe is dedicated to all the meat lovers out there, especially pork belly fans!

Pork belly is seasoned in a dry rub mixture consisting of brown sugar, smoked paprika, chili, garlic, and onion powders.

Then you grill the pork belly for nearly 3 1/2 hours and in the process it also simmers in a barbecue sauce and butter mix.

The result are crispy, sticky pieces of pork belly burnt ends that are tender and moist with a sweet-and-savory flavor.

I promise you that if you serve these at a holiday get-together for Memorial Day, Fourth of July, Labor Day, for game day parties, or as a special dinner treat for your family, there will be no leftovers!

Despite the rather dark, err burnt, look of these grilled burnt pork belly ends, people go nuts for them – particularly anyone who likes the darker pieces or more burnt pieces of anything!

Ingredients in Pork Belly Burnt Ends

To make these pork belly ends that people just can’t keep their hands off, you’ll need the following ingredients:

Dry Rub

• Wood chips, optional
• Light brown sugar
• Smoked paprika
• Salt
• Chili powder
• Garlic powder
• Onion powder
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Pork belly (brisket may be substituted)

Barbecue Sauce Mixture

• Barbecue sauce
• Light brown sugar
• Unsalted butter

How to Make Pork Belly Burnt Ends on the Grill

To make the best pork belly burnt ends, follow these easy steps:

Step 1: Soak your wood chips in water for 30 minutes, remove them, and place them in a foil packet leaving the top open a bit. Note that wood chips are optional.

Step 2: Preheat one side of your grill or smoker and place the wood chips on top of the hot side.

Step 3: Combine the brown sugar, all spices, salt, pepper, and press the dry rub over the pork.

Step 4: Place the meat on a half sheet pan with wire rack (rack only) or old pan lined with foil on the unheated side of the grill or smoker. 

Tip: Use that same half sheet pan with wire rack to make the crispiest, juiciest Baked Lemon Chicken Wings!

Tip: I keep the back of my grill hot with the flame and keep the front flames turned off.  Therefore, I keep the food in front where it’s unheated.

Step 5: Close the lid and cook/smoke for 2 hours.

Step 6: Using tongs, transfer the pork to a disposable foil pan, turn up the heat, place pan away from the heat, and cook for 1 hour.

Step 7: Combine the barbecue sauce, additional brown sugar, and pour it over the pork.

Step 8: Add the butter to the pan, placing around the pork. Cover the pan with foil.

Step 9: Turn the heat up, and place the pan directly over the heat, and cook for 20 minutes before serving.

Do I Have To Use Wood Chips for Grilled Pork Belly Burnt Ends?

It’s not obligatory to use wood chips when you’re making pork belly burnt ends.

However, wood chips will help smoke the meat to add a rich and smoky flavor.

I use apple wood chips but you can use another wood chip that you’re partial to such as hickory or cherry.

What Cut of Pork is Best for Pork Belly Burnt Ends?

It seems like a silly question but I strongly recommend using actual pork belly in grilled pork belly burnt ends. 

And the fattier, the better! 

One of the best parts of these pork burnt ends is how crispy they get from the fat rendering down which is why you want to choose a cut that has plenty of fat.

Nevertheless, in a pinch,  you can use the fattiest part of brisket. 

Should I Use Store Bought or Homemade BBQ Sauce for Grilled Pork Belly Burnt Ends?

I know some die hard barbecue fans love to make their own bbq sauce. I am not one of those people.

If you are, and want to make your own barbecue sauce, go for it!

However, I am a fan of Sweet Baby Ray’s Barbecue Sauce. It has a flavor we love and it’s easy to find.

Of course, feel free to use your another trusted favorite store bought bbq sauce.

Can I Make Pork Belly Burnt Ends in a Smoker or Oven?

I remember before I had an outdoor grill I was always a little envious of grilling recipes like this grilled pork belly burnt ends recipe.

It’s perfectly suited to grilling and unfortunately I don’t think it will translate well as an oven-baked recipe. Although you can give it a whirl if you’re feeling ambitious and don’t have a grill and see how the pork turns out.

I don’t have a smoker but I am sure these burnt pork belly ends would turn out great in a smoker. 

I add the wood chips as I mentioned above to help give a smoky flavor to the meat so if you have an actual smoker, awesome!

Serving and Storage for Pork Belly Burnt Ends

These pork belly burnt ends hot and fresh off the grill are heavenly little morsels and at their best hot and fresh. People fight over them so you may want to consider making a double batch! Leftovers shouldn’t be a problem at all.

However, extra pork belly will keep airtight in the fridge for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 4 months. 

They will lose an element of their crispy exterior, however, after they’ve been refrigerated or frozen.

Serve them with a side dish like German Potato Salad, Grilled Corn and Black Bean Salad, Amish Pasta Salad, or any of my pasta salad in this collection of The Best Pasta Salad Recipes.

Tips for the Best Grilled and Smoked Pork Belly Burnt Ends

When you’re 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.

For those of you using a grill to make your burnt pork belly ends, you will only use one side of the grill for the bulk of the recipe. Meaning, don’t fire up both sides of your grill because you will be cooking the pork on the cold, or non-flame side of the grill.

However, if you’re using the optional wood chips for smoky flavor, you will place them over the hot, or flame, side of your grill.

There are a few twists and turns with the cooking process but in a nutshell cooking your smoked pork belly burnt ends on the grill is as follows:

1. You’ll start with a 250F grill and cook the pork on half sheet pan with wire rack (rack only) for 2 hours on the cold side of the grill.
2. Transfer the pork to a disposable foil pan, raise the heat to 290F, and cook for 1 hour on the cold side of the grill.
3. Add the bbq sauce mixture, butter, cover the pan with foil, raise the heat to 305F, and cook for 20 minutes on the hot side of the grill. 

It should go without saying, but whatever pans you use should be old and lined with foil since they will never look the same. And won’t be the ones you reach for the next time you want to bake cookies or impress company.

And you could probably get away with using an old 9×13-inch pan instead of a disposable 9×13-inch foil pan but the disposable pans are easier and more practical for me. Especially the clean up! 

Finally, don’t be scared to cook your burnt pork belly ends for the full cooking time of 200 minutes (3 hours 20 minutes). I know that the pork will be burnt looking but it doesn’t taste burnt! 

It’s wonderful, chewy, crispy, sweet, sticky, juicy and fabulous despite its dark appearance.

More Easy Grilling Recipes:

Grilled Tandoori Chicken — Recreate this Indian favorite QUICKLY and EASILY at home! If you’re looking for a new spin on grilled chicken, this is THE recipe to try. It’s super juicy, flavorful, and you’ll LOVE IT!!

Grilled Honey Mustard Chicken Kabobs – Juicy chicken and crisp vegetables coated in a sweet-and-tangy sauce! Great for parties or easy weeknight dinners! Everything tastes better grilled!

Spicy Garlic Grilled Chicken – An EASY homemade marinade made with everyday ingredients that produces super FLAVORFUL, juicy chicken!! If you’re looking for a NEW marinade to jazz up grilled chicken, this is the one!!

Grilled Lime Cilantro Chicken — EASY, ready in 10 minutes, and the cilantro chicken is so TENDER, juicy, and full of Mexican-inspired flavor!! Put this HEALTHY chicken recipe on your summer menu rotation and it’ll be a hit with everyone!!

Peach Chili Grilled Chicken — Tender, juicy, and full of FLAVOR from the sweet peach preserves and chili garlic sauce!! The perfect contrast! EASY, healthy, ready in 10 minutes, zero cleanup, perfect for backyard barbecues or easy weeknight dinners!!

 

Honey Barbecue Grilled Chicken — Tender, juicy, full of FLAVOR, and a great recipe to jazz up grilled bbq chicken. EASY, healthy, ready in 10 minutes, zero cleanup, perfect for backyard barbecues or easy weeknight dinners!

 

 

Spicy Garlic Grilled Chicken — An EASY homemade marinade made with everyday ingredients that produces super FLAVORFUL, juicy chicken!! If you’re looking for a NEW marinade to jazz up grilled chicken, this is the one!!

 

 

Grilled Lemon Chicken — EASY, ready in 10 minutes, and the chicken is so TENDER, juicy, and full of LEMON flavor!! With grilled broccoli on the side, this is a HEALTHY recipe perfect for swimsuit season that tastes AMAZING!

 

Pineapple Teriyaki Chicken Skewers — Fast, easy, and loaded with sweet-and-savory pineapple teriyaki flavor! Made with just a handful of basic ingredients, these grilled chicken skewers will be a family FAVORITE! Serve with coconut rice in a pineapple for a showstopping presentation!

Grilled Lime Cilantro Chicken with Guacamole – EASY, ready minutes, and the chicken is tender, juicy, and full of Mexican-inspired flavors!! Chunky guacamole pairs PERFECTLY with this grilled chicken! A family favorite recipe everyone loves!!

Easy Carne Asada Tacos — EASY carne asada at home that rivals your favorite restaurant!! Tender juicy beef that’s seasoned to perfection and topped with pico de gallo and salsa make these carne asada tacos INCREDIBLE!!

Grilled Honey Lemon Butter Salmon — EASY, ready in 10 minutes, and a FOOLPROOF way to make grilled salmon!! Wonderfully tender, so juicy, just melts in your mouth, and has FABULOUS flavor!!

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