Pork Belly Burnt Ends on the Grill

Pork belly burnt ends are one of my favorite recipes for grill season. Thick, juicy pork belly grilled low and slow, first in a savory dry rub and then in a rich BBQ sauce, for a heavenly, smokey flavor you won’t be able to get enough of.

What Makes This Recipe So Good

• There’s so much flavor here! You’ve got a dry rub made up of the perfect blend of savory spices, then there’s a slightly sweet BBQ glaze, and then that incredible smokey flavor that comes just from grilling. Ugh, is your mouth watering yet?
• The slow, low-temperature grilling method used in this recipe gives you juicy, tender pork belly burnt ends that aren’t dry or tough. It takes a little time, but you know what they say about good things coming to those who wait…
• Pork belly burnt ends are actually pretty hands off, all things considered. I mean, once you put the meat on the grill, you don’t have to do anything at all for another 2.5 hours! And then you basically just add the glaze and put everything back on the grill for another 2 hours.
• These can be the main protein in your cookout meal, part of a whole grilled-food-spread, or you can plate them and serve them with toothpicks for an incredible appetizer!

Chef’s Tips

• If you buy pork belly with the skin on, you’ll need to remove it for this recipe. It’s a little tricky (and time-consuming) if you’ve never done it before. You’ll need a super sharp knife, a cutting board, and a healthy amount of patience. With the knife at an angle, run it underneath the skin, working away from you and away from the meat. You’ll need to peel away the skin with your other hand at the same time, so it takes a little coordination.
• If you’ve got 5-10 minutes to spare, let the pork belly sit after you coat it in dry rub, before you put it on the grill. That just gives the spices more time to infuse into the meat, enhancing the overall flavors.
• Adjust the spices in your dry rub to get your perfect blend! If you like things hotter, you might use ½ teaspoon of cayenne instead of ¼ teaspoon. Want pork belly burnt ends that are a little less sweet? Cut the brown sugar slightly. Play around with the ratios to get the best dry rub for your tastes.

More Delicious Grilled Recipes You’ll Love

• Baked Potatoes on the Grill
• Grilled Beef Ribs
• Grilled Scallops
• Maple Glazed Grilled Carrots
• Quick Chimichurri Shrimp Skewers (Whole30, Paleo, Keto)
• Bacon Wrapped Hot Dogs
• Grilled Mahi Mahi
• Grilled Peaches with Honey

Recipe By: Jasmine Comer

5 from 9 votes

Pork Belly Burnt Ends on the Grill

Prep 20 minutes minutes

Cook 5 hours hours

Total 5 hours hours 20 minutes minutes

Pork belly burnt ends are one of my favorite recipes for grill season. Thick, juicy pork belly grilled low and slow, first in a savory dry rub and then in a rich BBQ sauce, for a heavenly, smokey flavor you won't be able to get enough of.

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10 servings

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Equipment

• Charcoal grill (or smoker)
• Medium bowl
• Cutting board
• Sharp knife
• Large bowl
• Silicone spatula (optional)
• Disposable aluminum pan
• Aluminum Foil

Ingredients

For the Dry Rub

• ▢ 2 teaspoons chili powder
• ▢ 1 packed tablespoon brown sugar see Notes
• ▢ 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• ▢ 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• ▢ 1 teaspoon onion powder
• ▢ 1 teaspoon cumin
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon black pepper
• ▢ 1 teaspoon salt
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper

For the BBQ Glaze

• ▢ ⅔ cup BBQ sauce of choice
• ▢ 3 tablespoons butter
• ▢ 2 packed tablespoons brown sugar see Notes

For the Pork Belly

• ▢ 3 pounds pork belly non-salted, skin removed
• ▢ 2 tablespoons olive oil or other neutral oil

Instructions

• Set up charcoal grill for low, indirect heat, between 225° Fahrenheit to 250° Fahrenheit.
• Add all ingredients for dry rub to small bowl. Mix thoroughly and set aside.
  
• Place pork belly on cutting board. Using sharp knife, cut pork belly into roughly 1.5-inch cubes.
  
• Transfer pork belly cubes to large bowl. Add olive oil and toss or stir to coat cubes thoroughly. Add dry rub and toss or stir again.
  
• Transfer seasoned pork belly cubes to grill, placing directly on bare wire rack over indirect heat. Grill approximately 2 ½ hours, until meat is dark red.
  
• Remove meat from grill and place in disposable aluminum pan. Add ingredients for BBQ glaze to pan and stir all ingredients until cubes are thoroughly coated.
• Cover pan with aluminum foil and place pan on wire rack in grill. Grill additional 2 hours, or until pork belly reaches internal temperature of 200° Fahrenheit.
• Once pork belly reaches target temperature, carefully remove pan from grill. Let pork belly rest 3 to 5 minutes, then serve warm with desired sides.

• Brown Sugar: If you’re watching your sugar intake, you can use equal amounts Brown Swerve instead.
• Make it Keto: Use Brown Swerve instead of brown sugar. Use a keto-friendly store-bought BBQ sauce (like Primal Kitchen Organic & Unsweetened Classic BBQ Sauce or G Hughes Original Sugar Free BBQ Sauce) or use our recipe to make your own keto BBQ sauce at home.

Click for Nutrition Info

Approximate Information for One Serving

Serving Size: 1servingCalories: 798calProtein: 13gFat: 79gSaturated Fat: 29gTrans Fat: 0.1gCholesterol: 107mgSodium: 507mgPotassium: 321mgTotal Carbs: 9gFiber: 0.5gSugar: 7gNet Carbs: 9gVitamin A: 402IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 19mgIron: 1mg

Nutrition Disclaimers

Number of total servings shown is approximate. Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes.

Nutritional values shown are general guidelines and reflect information for 1 serving using the ingredients listed, not including any optional ingredients. Actual macros may vary slightly depending on specific brands and types of ingredients used.

To determine the weight of one serving, prepare the recipe as instructed. Weigh the finished recipe, then divide the weight of the finished recipe (not including the weight of the container the food is in) by the desired number of servings. Result will be the weight of one serving.

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