These Traeger smoked pork belly ends are a unique and easy dish to impress everyone at your next family barbecue! Who doesn’t love crispy, caramelized pork? Plus they are much easier to make than cooking up a whole brisket for burnt ends.
So follow my simple steps below so you whip out this recipe like a true pitmaster.
Table of contents
Traeger Pork Belly Ends Recipe
You are sure to fall in love with these caramelized bite-sized pieces of porky heaven as they are packed with flavor and are just the right amount of crispiness, and juiciness.
Furthermore, this dish is easy to prepare and eat! The majority of the cooking process involves letting them smoke themselves and it qualifies as the best finger food for a BBQ party!
What You’ll Need to Make Pork Belly Ends
- Pork Belly
- Pork Rub
- BBQ Sauce
- Honey
- Brown Sugar
- Olive Oil
- Butter
How to Make Traeger Pork Belly Ends
Step 1 : Prepare the Pork Belly
Firstly, you’ll want to trim any excess skin and fat off the pork belly. Next, slice the pork belly into even-sized cubes and place them in a large bowl.
Add dry pork rub and olive oil into the bowl and toss until all the cubes are well-coated with the pork rub, this will help tenderize the pork belly.
Step 2: Smoke!
Preheat your smoker to 250°F for 15 minutes with your lid closed.
After your smoker is hot and ready to go, place the coated cubes onto a wire rack or you can place them directly on the smoker.
Smoke your pork belly for approximately 2 hours, or until their internal temperature reaches 165°F.
Step 3: Sauce ‘Em Up!
Mix BBQ sauce, honey, and brown sugar in a bowl until combined to make the sauce.
Remove the cubes from the smoker and transfer them to a foil pan. You can then toss them in the sauce until they are completely covered.
Slice butter and place it on top of the smoked pork mixture. You can cover the pan with foil and place it back into the smoker.
Step 4: Throw Them Back in the Smoker
Smoke for another 1.5 hours, removing the aluminium foil in the last 20-30 minutes to let the sauce thicken up and develop a caramelized finish.
Step 5: Serve
Lastly, remove the smoked pork belly cubes from the smoker and let them rest for 30 minutes before serving.
Can You Eat The Skin?
Absolutely, you can eat the skin on pork belly. In fact, when crisped up, it can be delicious! However, this recipe calls for the skin to be removed. If you’d prefer it on, you can make your own variation!
Cubing The Pork
You should aim to cut the pork belly into 1.5 – 2 inch cubes. Try to keep the pork belly cubes the same size to ensure that they cook evenly.
Furthermore, to make it an even better cooking experience, try to make the fat to pork ratio roughly even for each pork belly cube too.
What temperature is used to smoke the pork belly?
You’ll want to smoke your pork belly at a temperature of 250°F.
What Internal Temperature should the Pork Belly Reach?
Your pork belly should reach an internal temperature of 165°F to ensure it is safe to eat.
However, in this recipe, you’ll have to put the pork belly in the smoker for another 1.5 hours after it reaches the safe internal temperature to allow the sauce to thicken.
Hence, the pork belly burnt ends should reach an internal temperature of 190°F – 205°F by the time they are ready to be taken out of the smoker.
How Long to Smoke Pork Belly For?
In total, you’ll be smoking your pork belly for 3.5 hours. You’ll have to split up the smoking time into 2 parts for this recipe. The first part will last approximately 2 hours until the pork belly reaches the desired internal meat temperature.
After that, you’ll need to smoke it for 1.5 more hours.
Is It Possible to Overcook?
Yes, it is possible to cook your pork belly burnt ends for too long, which will make them much tougher to eat.
Hence, you should aim at stopping the smoking process in part 2 once the internal temperature of the pork belly reaches 190°F – 200°F.
How to Store Leftover Pork Belly?
You can store any leftover pork belly burnt ends in an airtight container and keep it in the refrigerator.
They can keep for up to 3-4 days without going bad.
If freezing, then you can place the pork belly in an airtight, freezer-safe container and place it in the freezer for up to 3 months.
How to Reheat Leftovers
For reheating, place the leftovers on a baking sheet and bake or smoke them at 350°F until warm.
If you are reheating frozen leftovers, let them thaw in the fridge overnight before warming them up.
My Favourite Wood Chips
You should ideally use wood pellets with a sweet and mild flavor like applewood for pork.
If you want a more smoky flavor, smoke cherry, hickory, pecan, or maple wood chips while making this recipe.
What to Serve With Smoked Pork Belly Burnt Ends?
You can serve this dish alongside other finger-licking sides, appetizers, or with a main dish.
Smoked Mac and cheese, creamy smoked mashed potatoes, or baked beans are good dishes to pair alongside pork belly burnt ends.
Want More Burnt Ends Recipes?
Love burnt ends as much as us?
Then you need some more recipes.
Pork Shoulder Burnt Ends – Pellet Grill Recipe
More Traeger Recipes
If you’re looking for more Traeger smoker recipes, I have you covered. I have over 80 recipes I have tested, cooked, and eaten, which isn’t a bad job.
Traeger Smoked Corish Hen
Traeger Brisket
Traeger Cuban Sandwich
Traeger Egg Salad Sandwich
Traeger Broccoli
Traeger Turkey
Traeger Smoked Pork Belly Ends
Equipment
- 1 Traeger
Ingredients
Pork Belly
- 1/3 cup Vietnamese fish sauce
- 3 tablespoon sugar
- 2 tablespoons water
- 2 tablespoons freshly minced garlic about 6 medium cloves
- 2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
- 2 lb skinless pork belly cut into 2-inch cubes
- 1-2 chucks chunks of light smoking wood such as apple or cherry
For the Glaze
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup honey
- 2 tablespoons fish sauce
- 2 tablespoons water
Instructions
- Remove as much excess moisture from the pork belly with a paper towel.
- Cut off any remaining thick fat from the outside of the pork belly. Cube the pork belly into 1-inch cubes.
- Season with salt and black pepper. Leave in the fridge for 60 minutes.
- Remove further excess moisture that was drawn out by the salt. Put the pieces of pork into a clean mixing bowl.
- Whisk together the fish sauce, water, brown sugar, garlic and seasoning. Place your skinless pork belly cubes into ziplock bags.
- Pour in the marinade and then toss for an even coating before sealing the bags. Refrigerate the pork belly for no less than 4 hours and up to 24 hours.
- Load the cherry wood pellets, prime, and set the Pit Boss to a grill temperature of 225°F and wait until it has come to temperature.
- Place the pork belly pieces directly on the grill grates and close the lid. Insert a temperature probe into the middle of your largest pork belly cube. Smoke for 3 hours.
- In a saucepan set over medium heat, whisk together the white sugar, honey, water and fish sauce. Bring to the boil and then reduce to a low heat.
- Simmer until the glaze is slightly thicker. (Roughly 5 minutes) Remove from the heat and set aside.
- Increase the heat of your Pit Boss to 275°F. Remove the smoked pork belly from the smoker to a foil pan or baking tray.
- Cover the pork belly with the glaze and then toss to coat evenly. Cover the tray with foil and then return to the smoker for a further 45 minutes.
- Remove the foil and then cook for a further 15 minutes until a deep and dark color. Remove and rest for 10 minutes on a wire rack and cover with tin foil to drain excess fat.
Smoke On!
Charlie
Hi, I’m Charlie, I have been meat-smoking and grilling for the past 15 years. I have an array of different smokers, thermometers, and have a love for finding the right wood and charcoal combo My favourite recipes are my EXTRA CRISPY smoked pork belly, juicy pulled pork, smoked brisket, duck poppers, and ANY SEAFOOD I grill).
I loves sharing his tips with beginners, helping them navigate the world of smoking. I find it’s not just about cooking; it’s a quest for that perfect smoky flavor.
You will usually find me playing with the kids, perfecting my brisket bark, or sipping beers with boys around the fire. Can’t wait to share all my delicious smoking and grilling recipes with you!
You can read more about me on our About Us page.
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