Pork Belly Burnt Ends Without a Smoker

In no time, pork burnt ends have become a BBQ classic; however, for one or two reasons, it appears to be preferential that only people with a smoker can enjoy them at home.

However, fortunately, I will show you how to make your pork belly burnt ends without a smoker.

Pork burnt ends are smoky, tacky pork belly slices covered in a dry rub and smoked until they have a delectably crispy back.

And they are balanced out with a healthy glaze of sticky barbecue sauce.

You will always crave them if you are lucky enough to have tried them at any point in your life.

What Is Pork Belly?

Pork belly is the same cut of meat that bacon is made from. It is practically just uncured, non-smoked, unsliced bacon.

It is gotten from the belly of the pig, not the stomach, but instead from the piece of flesh on the underside of the pig.

The pork belly is made from layers of fat and meat. You can ask your butcher if your local grocery store does not have pork belly on display.

I suggest you pick a piece of pork belly with as much meat as possible.

It is peculiar, thanks to the fact that it is one of the only proteins that can be cut into small bites and smoked this way.

The layers of fat in the pork belly permit it to remain moist and not dry out during the long, slow smoke.

Pork Belly Burnt Ends

With this easy pork belly burnt ends recipe, you can learn how to cook pork belly.

Make it delicious and smoky. These burnt ends are also referred to as meat candy.

• Course: Main Course
• Cuisine: American
• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 3 hours
• Resting Time: 20 minutes
• Total Time: 3 hours, 30 minutes
• Servings: 8 to 10 people

Equipment

• Oven
• Disposable metal pan

Ingredients

• 5 ½ pounds of cubed or sliced pork belly
• 2 tablespoons of pepper
• 2 tablespoons of coarse sea salt
• 1 cup of BBQ sauce
• 3 tablespoons of paprika

Laid-Out Instructions

• Below are the instructions on how to make pork belly in the oven.
• But keep in mind that you won’t get the same smoky flavor that you would get from a smoker.
• However, based on your preference, you can always add a little liquid smoke to it. So, let’s get right into it.
• First, you are to preheat the oven to 275 degrees Fahrenheit, then get some cooking spray and grease a baking sheet with a rack with it.
• After that, place the seasoned cubed pork belly, fat-side up, on the baking sheet rack.
• With that being done, you can now proceed to add the baking sheet to the oven’s middle rack and leave it for 3 hours.
• You are to spray the pork belly with apple cider vinegar every hour.
• And, after 3 hours, bring out the pork belly and place it on a deep baking pan or a disposable metal pan.
• Afterward, proceed to toss with any BBQ sauce of your liking. And, for an extra 30 minutes, add the pork belly back to the oven.
• Allow the pork belly to cool for 20 minutes out of the oven, then proceed to serve and enjoy.

Storage of Pork Burnt Ends

If you have any leftover pork belly burnt ends, you can store them in the refrigerator.

However, ensure that they are placed in an airtight container. This will make them last for up to 4 days.

And, to reheat, you can do that in the oven, in the smoker, or on the stovetop until they become warmed through.

You can also add some extra sauce if that is needed.

Freeze

Immediately after your burnt ends have cooled, you can freeze them for up to 3 months.

All you need to do is get a freezer ziplock bag or container, place them in it, and then proceed to freeze them.

However, when you are ready to reheat them, just thaw them overnight and reheat them when you are ready to serve them.

Serving Suggestions for Pork Belly Burnt Ends

These mouth-watering pork belly burnt ends can go well with all kinds of sides, veggies, salads, and so on. You can serve them with all your favorites.

Sides

You can serve these pork belly burnt ends with baked beans, crispy air fryer French fries, or easy homemade mac and cheese.

Salad

You can pair them with pesto pasta salad, coleslaw, avocado corn salad, or potato salad with baked salmon.

Cornbread

This dish is flavorful with some cornbread. So, you can try this delicious burnt end with cornbread muffins, hot water cornbread, and moist buttermilk cornbread.

Meats

Enjoy these with other smoked dishes such as smoked chicken wings, smoked beef brisket, smoked chicken thighs, and smoked ribs.

Recipe FAQs

Is Sliced Pork Belly Bacon?

The short answer to this is no. Given the fact that sliced pork belly has not been cured, so for that reason, it is not bacon.

Pork belly only becomes bacon immediately after it has been cured. In the UK, bacon made using pork is referred to as streaky bacon.

How Do You Make Burnt Ends On A Smoker?

All you need to do is just follow the above recipe, but instead of cooking them in the oven, place them in the smoker at the proper temp (about 150 degrees Celsius).

Can I Make These Pork Belly Burnt Ends Without Sauce?

The straightforward answer is yes. You can leave off the sauce and yield sauce-less burnt ends if you simply want the rub without making them saucy.

Can I Make This Recipe On A Regular Grill With Wood Chips?

Well, yes, you can use a charcoal or gas grill and turn it into a smoker, and all you need to do is soak the wood chips.

After that, place the meat over indirect heat. The smoke required to get that deep, smoky flavor in the pork belly cubes will be created by the soaked wood chips.

Final Thoughts on Pork Belly Burnt Ends Without a Smoker

This flavorful and best recipe for pork belly burnt ends without a smoker is perfect and can be served with all kinds of sides, salads, veggies, and more.

You will know that’s the correct meat to buy when the pork belly you purchase looks like thick strips of bacon.

And, as previously mentioned, you can use any BBQ sauce you like. I suggest you try out Blue’s Hog brand or your homemade BBQ sauce.

That being said, this will be the end of this guide, as you can now make pork belly burnt ends without a smoker.