Smoked Pork Belly Burnt Ends

4.66 from 26 votes

Sweet, spicy, and melt-in-your-mouth tender, Smoked Pork Belly Burnt Ends are oh-so tasty and addictive!

Prep Time10

Cook Time3 30

Total Time3 40

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Keyword: pork belly, pork belly burnt ends, smoked, smoked burnt ends, smoked pork, smoker

Servings: servings

Calories: 1276kcal

Fire up your Traeger! Set it to 180-F to give these meaty bites a blast of smoke.
Cut the pork belly into 1.5-2 inch cubes - don't worry, they'll shrink down. Do NOT trim off the fat! That precious and oh-so delicious fat is going to infuse these bites with oodles of flavor.
Toss the cut pork belly cubes with 2 tablespoons of cooking oil. Then, toss the cubes with the rub.
Arrage the pork belly cubes in a a foil pan. Use two pans if the pork cubes are stacked in more than 2 layers.
Smoke at 180-F for 30 minutes. Then, cover the pan(s) with foil and turn up the heat and smoke at 275-F for about 2 hours OR until the internal temp of the cubes reaches 165-F.
Add your favorite BBQ sauce and honey and mix well.
Return to the smoker and turn down the heat to 225-F and smoke for another 60ish minutes or until the internal temp reaches 200-205-F. Uncover the pan(s) for the last 10-15 minutes to thicken up the sauce.

Chef Jenn's Tips

Pork belly burnt ends are all about flavor, but you need to build that flavor in layers! Start with an assertive rub that's got a bit of a kick to it!
Don't cut the pork belly too small! Even with all that fat, they can dry out.
Toss the pork cubes 2-3 times during the cooking process to ensure even cooking.
Traeger pork belly burnt ends are going to mess up your cooking dish! Use disposable foil pans for this recipe - you'll thank me later.
Honey can burn! Keep an eye on the burnt ends during the last phase of smoking to ensure they don't burn. Stirring often will help prevent this.