Smoked & Candied Burnt Ends

“I didn’t grow up eating pork belly but I honestly think I’m making up for lost time now! I swear I’m making this weekly if not every 2 weeks. I’ll mix up the flavors and seasonings but it always turns absolutely perfect thanks to smoking it on my Yoder Smokers YS640!”

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Recipe from thekitchenwhisperer.net
https://www.instagram.com/thekitchenwhisperer

INGREDIENTS

  • 5 pounds Pork Belly, cut into 1–2” cubes
  • 3 Tablespoons Chupacabra Ribnoxious, plus extra if needed
  • 3 Tablespoons Chupacabra A Fine Meat Rub, plus extra if needed
  • 1/4 cup Light Brown Sugar
  • 1/2 cup Peach/Apple/White Grape Juice (your choice of flavor)
  • 1/2 cup BBQ Sauce

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. To a large plastic bag, add the cubed pork belly, the Chupacabra Ribnoxious, and the Chupacabra A Fine Meat Rub. Seal the bag and coat all of the pieces evenly with the seasonings. Place the bag into the fridge overnight (or at least 2 hours) to allow the seasoning to soak in.
  2. When you’re ready to smoke the pork belly, preheat the Yoder Smokers YS640 to 250F. I used fruit pellets for this smoke. The damper was 1/2 way open.
  3. Grab a rimmed baking pan and place a cooling rack on top. Place the coated pork belly ends on the cooling rack. If needed, dust with a bit more seasoning.
  4. To make it easier, place the cooling racks with the pieces on them onto the smoker rack. Place foil or tray on the lower rack below the pork belly to help catch the fat and drippings. Close the lid and smoke for about 3 hours or until the internal temperature reaches 175F.
  5. Increase the smoker temperature to 300F. Take 2 large pieces of foil, double stacked, and place the pork belly pieces onto the foil. Sprinkle with the brown sugar and juice. Close up the foil around the pieces to make a foil packet and place it on the top rack for another 40-60 minutes or until the internal temp reaches 200F.
  6. Open up the foil packet, brush on the BBQ sauce, and smoke with the foil open for another 15-20 minutes to set the sauce. *Alternatively, you can coat the pieces and place them directly on the smoker grate (make sure you spray the grate with neutral oil) to set the sauce.
  7. Once set, remove from the smoker and serve.