Pork Belly Burnt Ends Questions


 
ChristopherC

ChristopherC

TVWBB Super Fan
Going to be making Pork Belly Burnt Ends on Tuesday this week with the WSM 18. Have some questions and would like to hear some feedback...

1) Should I use a binder before applying rub to the pork belly cubes? I have heard yes and no. For the yes's, I have heard olive oil, other oil, worchestshire, mustard, water, apple juice, and some others I don't remember....(watched a lot of videos and read a lot of recipes).

2) Should I use the water pan or not in the WSM? Have heard mixed things here too for burnt ends.

3) Should I ever spritz during the process? Any point with the amount of fat in the pork belly? Theories here?

4) Should I add BBQ sauce when I put them in the covered foil pan or do it after for the last 15-20 minutes uncovered?

5) What is the best way to heat up leftovers the next day?



Here is my plan...would love to hear feedback:
  1. Trim any inconsistencies from the pork belly
  2. Cube into 1.5”-2" cubes
  3. Season with your choice of seasoning (binder optional)
  4. Let rest 1.5 to 2 hours in fridge
  5. Set up smoker to 250d to 275d with chunks of cherry and/or apple or pecan
  6. Place pork belly cubes spaced out on top and if necessary bottom rack of smoker (can use roasting rack)
  7. Smoke for 2 to 2.5 hours
  8. Remove and place in covered aluminum pan coated with brown sugar, butter cubes, honey and possibly barbecue sauce and/or more seasoning
  9. Cook for 1.25 to 1.5 hours at 275d either in smoker or oven
  10. Remove and place in another aluminum pan to finish for 10-20 minutes uncovered (possibly adding bbq sauce here instead of #8 above)

Thanks!
 
Your plan seems solid, at least it should work well and gives you a starting point for future smokes. I use mustard on pork as a binder. I always use water in the pan, but that is just my personal preference. I would not bother spritzing but if I did it would be with apple juice. I would add the Bbq sauce at step 10. Left overs ? You must be joking cause they should be like candy and will disappear quickly. If there are leftovers I would add a little more Bbq sauce to them in a sauce pan.
Enjoy!
 
Hey Chris,

I've only done this one time and used some olive oil as a binder, worked out well. Water pan I'd say is personal choice, really depends if you are comfortable holding your smoker at 250 without water. I'd go with a spritz every hour to maximize on outside color/bark, I like Apple Cider Vinegar. When you put in the covered pan during step 8, adding some sort of sauce before returning to cooker would help "braise" the pork belly. I did this during my cook and loved the result.

The rest of your plan sounds thought out. For step 10 I would just uncover the pan the pork belly is already in rather than transfer to another clean pan. Less cleanup and at that point your are just looking to firm up the sauce. Good luck and post pics!

Cheers,
Kyle
 
A friend of mine recently made these and when I asked how he did it, he said he smoked it like a point (brisket point), and just like he would when making brisket burnt ends: he rubbed and smoked the pork belly for a couple/few(?) hours, *then* cubed them up with all the goodies (sauce, sugar, honey, whatever) and then put them back on the smoker in a foil disposable pan.

Are there any advantages/disadvantages to doing it this way as opposed to cubing from the get-go?
 
I saw one video where someone regretted not cubing at the start because less fat rendered and less outer seasoning bark developed.

M Craw said:
A friend of mine recently made these and when I asked how he did it, he said he smoked it like a point (brisket point), and just like he would when making brisket burnt ends: he rubbed and smoked the pork belly for a couple/few(?) hours, *then* cubed them up with all the goodies (sauce, sugar, honey, whatever) and then put them back on the smoker in a foil disposable pan.

Are there any advantages/disadvantages to doing it this way as opposed to cubing from the get-go?
Click to expand...
 
Here they are getting ready for seasoning and smoking!

Hoping I didn’t cut them too big. Most are about 1.5” thick and 2”W x 2.5”L...

But I guess the Thermapen won’t lie on the end.

5D40A7C9-345C-47C8-A63A-7F999B219211.jpeg
 
ChristopherC said:
Here they are getting ready for seasoning and smoking!

Hoping I didn’t cut them too big. Most are about 1.5” thick and 2”W x 2.5”L...

But I guess the Thermapen won’t lie on the end.

View attachment 12194
Click to expand...
Looking forward to seeing the progress, every pork belly that makes it into my house turns into bacon, the next 5 lb piece I get I will have to do half as bacon and keep half to do pork belly burn ends.
 
And the next one I get will be for bacon likely....depending on these results...

lol

Michael Richards said:
Looking forward to seeing the progress, every pork belly that makes it into my house turns into bacon, the next 5 lb piece I get I will have to do half as bacon and keep half to do pork belly burn ends.
Click to expand...
 
Saw these in the local grocery store add today... I don't know what a pork belly costs, but would it be a complete rip off to use these (of the skewer) rather than taking the time to cut up a belly?

Annotation 2020-08-18 071008.jpg
 
Seasoned and going in for 2.5 hours.

Using water pan and having trouble getting upper rack up to temp.

20 minutes in for coals and lower rack is 269d and upper is 220d.

EA74F2F4-3181-419E-95BF-6C8D3A71D3F1.jpeg
 
So, were the results perfect? No...but I really liked them. The wife didn't like the texture of the soft buttery fatty parts (she never does)...she is very much a texture eater. She liked the meaty parts...so she will probably love pulled pork from a pork shoulder / boston butt.

I may have made the chunks too big as the medium-small chunks were the best. The larger chunks, you didn't get as much outer coating and candy sauce. The very small chunks (just a couple) were a bit overcooked.

So, I learned a ton...including:

1) Size matters! LOL Try to make sure the cubes are about 1.5-2"...2.5" is a little too big.

2) Try to make them all the same size.

3) Let the Thermapen tell the story....180 is a good number to remove them from the smoker...205 is a good final temp to take out of the foil pan and done.

To me they tasted very close to ribs with more fat.

3 different bbq sauces ended up tasting similar...wonder if I put too much butter cubes in the aluminum foil pan?

I think how they turn out "reheated" will determine how often I cook these again...if they are similar or better to the pieces I ate for dinner, then YES I will do them again and experiment with seasoning and finishing items (e.g brown sugar, honey, butter, bbq sauce).
 
Look tasty, very good first attempt! My wife wasn’t too crazy about the fattiness either. They are very rich and may be best served as an accompaniment/side to a main protein. I also uses a “fancier” bbq sauce when I made mine, alongside some agave plus butter, didn’t really pick up on sauce flavors as much, moreso the rub. Next time I’ll probably use something more simple maybe sweet baby rays. I like your use of the smaller wire rack! Probably made them easier to pull off.

Cheers,
Kyle
 
" the medium-small chunks were the best. "
" The very small chunks (just a couple) were a bit overcooked. "

So Chris... tell me how those bit overcooked (aka Burnt Ends) were... ;)

While it looks like an Excellent Cook, I would love to try that piece in the upper right corner of the first picture.
Looks kinda of... Burnt ;) Yummers !!!!

Me thinks we bbq cookers need to return back to our roots to when we "accidentally" Burnt some Ends of a slab or a flat... etc. :)
 
The flavor of the more darker overcooked ones was excellent but the chew was a bit tough.

The small-medium ones had both aspects of texture and flavor.

The larger ones were lacked a bit of flavor due to the lack of caramelization I would say.

It was a good cook. The texture seems a little firmer when reheating which I guess is nice if you don't like that jelly-like mushy fat melt feeling. I don't mind either way.

Bob Bass said:
" the medium-small chunks were the best. "
" The very small chunks (just a couple) were a bit overcooked. "

So Chris... tell me how those bit overcooked (aka Burnt Ends) were... ;)

While it looks like an Excellent Cook, I would love to try that piece in the upper right corner of the first picture.
Looks kinda of... Burnt ;) Yummers !!!!

Me thinks we bbq cookers need to return back to our roots to when we "accidentally" Burnt some Ends of a slab or a flat... etc. :)
Click to expand...
 
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