Skip to main content

Old Arthur’s Pork Belly Burnt Ends

Pork belly burnt ends on a platter for a juneteeth party.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Judy Haubert

I thank Eudell Watts IV, Old Arthur’s great-grandson, for this recipe. Pork belly burnt ends are a riff of the traditional burnt ends made from beef brisket. This recipe calls for a three-step process that candies the pork belly by smoking, then rendering, and adding barbecue sauce at the end of the smoking process. You may substitute your favorite dry rub and sweet, tomato-based barbecue sauce.

This recipe was excerpted from ‘Black Smoke’ by Adrian Miller. Buy the full book onAmazon.

All products featured on Epicurious are independently selected by our editors. However, when you buy something through our retail links, we may earn an affiliate commission.

What you’ll need

Ingredients

Serves 6

6 pounds pork belly, cut into 1-inch cubes
½ cup Old Arthur’s Smokestack Dry Rub, or your favorite dry rub, divided
1 stick butter, sliced into pats
1 cup dark brown sugar
1 cup honey
½ cup apple juice
½ cup apple or fig jam
20 ounces Old Arthur’s Barbecue Sauce, or your favorite barbecue sauce, divided
  1. Step 1

    Cube the whole pork belly into 1-inch squares. Place the cubed pieces into a large mixing bowl.

    Step 2

    Sprinkle ¼ cup of the dry rub into the bowl along with the pieces, and then toss vigorously with your hands to coat each piece thoroughly.

    Step 3

    Bring the smoker to an internal temperature of approximately 235 degrees. Use your favorite fruitwood or hardwood to create the desired smoke once the smoker has reached the correct temperature.

    Step 4

    Arrange the seasoned pork belly pieces evenly on a wire-mesh baking tray. Take care to space the pork belly pieces so that they do not touch one another. Place the tray in the smoker.

    Step 5

    Smoke the pork belly pieces for 3½ hours at 235–250 degrees. If you have not already done so, add your wood pieces to the fire so that you are now producing smoke.

    Step 6

    Remove the tray from the smoker. Using your hands (gloved), carefully transfer each cube from the tray to an aluminum foil pan. Arrange the pieces so that they are uniformly level in the pan. Distribute the butter, brown sugar, honey, apple juice, jam, the remaining ¼ cup of the dry rub, and ½ cup of barbecue sauce over the pork cubes.

    Step 7

    Cover and seal the pan with aluminum foil. Return the pan to the heat of the smoker. Allow it to stay inside for 2 more hours at a target temperature of 250 degrees.

FromBlack Smoke: African Americans and the United States of Barbecueby Adrian Miller. Copyright © 2021 by Adrian Miller. Used by permission of the University of North Carolina Press. Buy the full book fromAmazonor theUniversity of North Carolina Press.
Sign InorSubscribe
to leave a Rating or Review

How would you rate Old Arthur’s Pork Belly Burnt Ends?

Leave a Review

See Related Recipes and Cooking Tips

Read More
Chinese-Barbecue-Style Pork Chops
Inspired by sticky-savory char siu, these pork chops are treated to a finger-licking marinade, then tossed on the grill.
Bourbon–Brown Sugar Barbecue Sauce
Find out why one reviewer calls it “the holy grail of BBQ sauces.”
Grilled Pork Tenderloin and Asparagus With Mustard-Herb Sauce
A sauce of Dijon mustard and fresh parsley brings new life to the classic grilled pork tenderloin. Throw some asparagus on the grill and you have a whole meal.
Burnt Broccoli and Crushed Olive Salad
Here we give you chargrilled flavor, minus the grill; deeply browning the broccoli in a cast-iron skillet instead.
Pork Vindaloo
In this fiery Indian classic, chunks of pork shoulder and succulent pork belly are cooked until tender in a tangy, spicy chile-vinegar sauce.
Classic Dry Martini
This simple classic gin martini recipe makes a beautiful, sophisticated cocktail that is as easy to stir together as it is to drink.
Pork Shoulder Inasal
With tender, shreddy meat and a dark crust made from toasted rice, fried onions, and garlic, this slow-cooked pork shoulder is food fit for a crowd.
Pork and Asparagus Soba
Chili crisp and tahini team up to create a savory, spicy sauce for ground pork, snappy asparagus, and nutty soba noodles.