First attempt at Pork Belly Burnt Ends

[Colt66]

Hey there everybody. This weekend I attempted to do some pork belly burnt ends. Still very new to smoking, I had never even heard of these until a few weeks ago but I cant imagine anything more enticing than thick chunks of bacon meat smoked and then slow cooked in a bath of buttery sweet/spicy goodness. Some friends and myself agreed that they came out pretty damn good. I mixed my own rub (just basically smokey and sweet mixture w/ a touch of cherry) and smoked them on my Oklahoma Joes offset with some chunks of hickory. I had some issues getting the temp right for the first 30 minutes or so (I'm still a newbie ha) but I let them smoke for about 2.5 hours and put them in a pan with honey, brown sugar, hot pepper jelly, and some chunks of butter and let em go for another 1.5 hours. Then I uncovered them and let em sit for about 10 more minutes. I think they came out pretty good and I took some pics to show you guys.

The only issues I had (other than temp control) was that I wish the bark crisped up a little more and that they had a little more kick to them. I'm thinking next time I may cut some jalapenos and throw them in with the butter and all that. Also, I had just learned about tuning plate to help disburse the heat more evenly and to use less wood and charcoal to get the temps I want, So i used some of the extra racks that came with my smoker and covered them in tin foil in an attempt to at least do that a little bit. And it did make a difference compared to not having them. I plan to buy the actual kit though once I talk my wife into letting me haha. I'm open to any tips or criticism ya got. Have a good Monday everybody!

 

[chilerelleno]

Looks downright mouthwatering!
Great first shot, ya nailed it.
Awesome Qview always appreciated.
Like!
Jalapenos sound good to me, I'll have to make myself a spicy batch next time too.

Don't worry about a specific temp, just as long as it stays within a range without spiking up/down, e.g. 225'-250'.

 

[Jeff Wright]

Looks like some very tasty chunks. Doesn't look newbie to me! It is fun to learn and eat the evidence.

 

[SmokinVOLfan]

Those look great man! I haven't tried them myself yet but I am thinking about it this weekend for college football kickoff. Bellies at Costco around here running about $2.99 lb

 

[Colt66]

Those look great man! I haven't tried them myself yet but I am thinking about it this weekend for college football kickoff. Bellies at Costco around here running about $2.99 lb

Thanks brother. Yeah I got mine for a little over 3 bucks a pound. Hope yours come out good for ya. Nothin like some delicious food and some cold brews for college game day!

 

[petehalsted]

Looks pretty darn good to me! They don't get a lot of crispy bark, like brisket or Butt, I suspect because there is to much fat rendering to let them dry enough for that, but they do get a nice flavorful bark, your last shot on the smoker, the color looks perfect!

After foiled with the butter etc. I drain the liquid, then add my sauce etc. and back in the smoker for a bit to get them good and sticky. There is a lot of rendered fat in the liquid when you remove the foil, that isn't needed because they still have plenty of fat in the pieces themselves.

 

[johnh12]

I would really like to try some of those. I can't seem to find belly without the skin in my area though and removing the skin is a pain.

 

[chilerelleno]

I would really like to try some of those. I can't seem to find belly without the skin in my area though and removing the skin is a pain.

Option #1
1) Freeze PB until just pliable
2) Sharpen fillet knife
3) Skin like skinning fish fillet, except keep edge angled towards skin.
It'll almost float along the skin.
4) Cook skin for cracklins

Option#2
Score and salt skin, let air dry in fridge for a day or two, cook skin side up in 475'-500' oven till turned to cracklins.
Peel off cracklins, cool meat, cube, pan and sauce, leave pan uncovered, finish as burnt ends in smoker.

 

[johnh12]

Option #1
1) Freeze PB until just pliable
2) Sharpen fillet knife
3) Skin like skinning fish fillet, except keep edge angled towards skin.
It'll almost float along the skin.
4) Cook skin for cracklins

Option#2
Score and salt skin, let air dry in fridge for a day or two, cook skin side up in 475'-500' oven till turned to cracklins.
Peel off cracklins, cool meat, cube, pan and sauce, leave pan uncovered, finish as burnt ends in smoker.

Thanks. I'll try that.

 

[caspian]

I am going to make the same Tuesday. As for crisping up, I am thinking of searing on a super hot cast iron skillet with butter for 30 seconds or so. Think that would work?

 

[Colt66]

I am going to make the same Tuesday. As for crisping up, I am thinking of searing on a super hot cast iron skillet with butter for 30 seconds or so. Think that would work?

Honestly, after doing some looking into it, I think the texture I got is actually pretty ideal. I wouldn’t pan sear them though. Good luck with them though brother! Let me know how they come out for sure

 

[SmokinLogs]

My mouth is watering at how delicious those look!

 

[caspian]

I may pan sear a handful to see how it goes. doubt a quick sear will ruin it.

 

[Smkryng]

Those look mighty tasty, I’m gonna have to give these a try!

 

[troy arnett]

I am new to the smoker world (OKC Bandera). My first cook is this weekend. I have made these in the oven and got a qt of lard from the PB. How did you catch the fat?

 

[Colt66]

I am new to the smoker world (OKC Bandera). My first cook is this weekend. I have made these in the oven and got a qt of lard from the PB. How did you catch the fat?

I didnt catch it. What temp did you do them at? I didn’t even have much fat drop from them to be honest. Certainly not a quart worth

 

[troy arnett]

5 hrs of cook time, starting at 225, progressing up to 300 at the end. The wife wanted the drippings so I put my rack over a glass cake pan. Everything I read about PB, they said to expect up to 25 % weight loss.

 

[Colt66]

Yeah I did mine in my offset smoker so I didn’t take notice to how much cake off. Good luck with yours though