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These pork belly burnt ends are gloriously sticky, smoky, rich little bites with caramelized edges and soft, tender centres. Cook them in the oven, on the BBQ or the smoker – I’ve got instructions for all three methods.
Nicky’s Notes
Also known as ‘pork candy’ I can totally see why these sweet, sticky, tender pork belly burnt ends have this strange-sounding alias!
They’re indulgently delicious, and the first thing to go when I place a tray of them on the BBQ buffet table.
We’ve tested all three methods (BBQ, smoker and oven) multiple times, partly to be thorough, but also because we can’t stop eating them.
I think my favourite version is the BBQ – just because they have that extra smokiness (the smoker is great too, it just takes a longer to cook). Don’t rule out the oven version though, they’re still AMAZING (and quicker than both the BBQ and smoker method).
The key to this dish is giving the pork belly enough time to soften properly before glazing. Pork belly has lots of fat running through it, and that’s what gives you that juicy, tender quality. Rush it, and you won’t get the same melt-in-the-mouth finish.
A perfect sunny weekend spread – pork belly burnt ends, some coleslaw, pickles and maybe some nice grilled flatbreads!
Table of Contents
📋 Ingredients for pork belly burnt ends
***Full recipe with detailed quantities in the recipe card below***
For the Glaze
Which BBQ sauce?
Go with your favourite! We love Bull’s-Eye, Sweet Baby Ray’s and Heinz Original Smoky.
Use a smoky BBQ sauce for deeper barbecue flavour, or a honey-style sauce for a sweeter finish.
🧑🍳 Abbreviated Recipe
***Full recipe with detailed steps in the recipe card below***
Remove the pork skin, trim the fat slightly, cut into chunky cubes, then coat all over in the spice rub.
Cook on a wire rack at 120C/250F-275F in the oven, BBQ or smoker, spritzing hourly until darkened and starting to render (see recipe card for timings for each method).
Transfer to a clean tray, toss with BBQ sauce, butter, honey and brown sugar, then continue cooking until tender and sticky.
Recipe Tips
- Chop the pork into uniform chunky pieces. Don’t go too small or it will dry out. 3-4cm or 1.5″ cubes is a good size to aim for. The cubes will shrink a little as they cook.
- Be sure to use a rack over a tray for the initial cook – this helps the heat circulate all around each piece, so the edges dry out slightly and form that lovely bark instead of steaming underneath.
- It also lets the rendered fat drip down into the tray below, which helps the pork belly become rich and tender without sitting in a pool of fat.
Pin this now to find it later
Pin ItLeftovers Guide
- Leftovers will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- Reheat in the oven, air fryer or in a frying pan using a medium heat, until piping hot throughout. I like to add a little extra BBQ sauce just at the end of reheating to bring back the gloss.
- You can also freeze in an airtight container. Defrost overnight in the refrigerator, then reheat as above.
Pork Belly Burnt Ends Recipe
Ingredients
Pork
- 1 kg (2.2lbs) pork belly I like to look for a piece that has a, good meat-to-fat ratio – (more meat than fat, so it's not too fatty – around 1/3rd fat)
Rub
- 1 tbsp flaky salt
- 1 tbsp black pepper
- 1 tbsp paprika
- ½ tsp cayenne pepper
- ½ tsp garlic powder
Spritz
- 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 2 tbsp water
Sauce
- 120 ml (1/2 cup) BBQ sauce
- 30 g (2 tbsp) unsalted butter
- 2 tbsp honey
- 2 tbsp light brown sugar
Instructions
Oven Method
- Heat the oven to 120C/275F(Fan). Add a wire rack to a large foil tray.
- Remove the skin from the pork belly. You can remove a little of the top layer of fat too (depending on how fatty you like your pork belly). I leave about 2-3mm of fat on the top. Chop the pork belly into chunky pieces (around 3.5cm or 1.5" cubes).1 kg (2.2lbs) pork belly
- Mix the rub ingredients together and toss the pork belly pieces in the rub to coat on all sides.1 tbsp flaky salt , 1 tbsp black pepper, 1 tbsp paprika, 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper, 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- Add to the wire wrack in a single layer and place in the oven for 2.5 hours. Spritz with the spritz mixture every hour (if you don't have a spritzer, just dab the mixture on gently with a pastry brush, being careful not to remove any of the coating).2 tbsp apple cider vinegar, 2 tbsp water
- After 2.5 hours, transfer the pork belly to a new/clean foil tray. Add the BBQ sauce, sugar, honey and brown sugar and toss together.120 ml (1/2 cup) BBQ sauce, 30 g (2 tbsp) unsalted butter, 2 tbsp honey, 2 tbsp light brown sugar
- Place back in the oven for 20 minutes (same temperature).
- Remove from the oven, rest for a few minutes (the sticky sauce will be HOT), then serve.
Smoker and Barbecue Method
- Heat the smoker to 120C/250F OR set up the barbecue for indirect heat at approx. 120C/250F. Add a wire rack to a large foil tray.
- Remove the skin from the pork belly. You can remove a little of the top layer of fat too (depending on how fatty you like your pork belly). I leave about 2-3mm of fat on the top. Chop the pork belly into chunky pieces (around 3.5cm or 1.5" cubes).1 kg (2.2lbs) pork belly
- Mix the rub ingredients together and toss the pork belly pieces in the rub to coat on all sides.1 tbsp flaky salt , 1 tbsp black pepper, 1 tbsp paprika, 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper, 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- Add to the wire wrack in a single layer (uncovered) and place in the smoker (or on the BBQ, ensuring it's over indirect heat). Close the lid and and cook for 2.5-3 hours on the BBQ or 3.5-4 hours on the smoker – until dark red with a nice red bark on meat. Spritz with the spritz mixture every hour.2 tbsp apple cider vinegar, 2 tbsp water
- Check for 'doneness' – the fat should have started to render and you should see around 2 tbsp of fat in the tray underneath. There will be some black spots in the oil too – this is where the oil has rendered and dripped off with a bit of the pork coating – then cooked in the pan underneath.
- Transfer the pork belly to a clean foil tray. Add the BBQ sauce, sugar, honey and brown sugar and toss together.120 ml (1/2 cup) BBQ sauce, 30 g (2 tbsp) unsalted butter, 2 tbsp honey, 2 tbsp light brown sugar
- Cover with foil and cook for a further 60-90 minutes, until you can insert a skewer and it slides in easily (if you have a temperature probe, you want the internal temp to be approx 95C/200F).
- Remove the foil and allow to cook for a further 15 minutes – until the sauce goes tacky.
- Rest the pork for a few minutes (the sticky sauce will be HOT), then serve.
Notes
Can I swap for pork shoulder?
Pork shoulder can work, but it won’t have quite the same rich, juicy texture as pork belly. Pork belly is best for that classic burnt ends feel.Why use foil roasting tins?
The clean-up is so much easier! You can use a regular baking tray underneath, but you’ll have to really scrub is to get it clean. I also tested using a regular tray lined with foil, but that’s worse! The oils and residue gets underneath the foil and it’s a big pain to get the stuck-on foil to peel off. Nutritional information is approximate, based on the 1kg of pork belly serving 8 people as an appetizer. This is based on using a not-too-fatty piece of pork belly, with no skin and with some of the fat rendered – which happens during cooking.Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
🍽️ What to serve it with
🍲 More fantastic BBQ recipes
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