Sticky Pork Belly Burnt End Sliders
Pork belly burnt ends get you brisket-level payoff in about a third of the time. Smoke at 275°F until the bark sets, braise covered in butter, brown sugar and BBQ sauce, then finish uncovered so the sauce reduces into a lacquer. Piled on toasted slider buns, they disappear fast.
If you've never made pork belly burnt ends, this is the cook that changes what you think a slider can be. Same idea as brisket burnt ends, but the belly gets you there faster and the fat does most of the heavy lifting.
The whole thing runs in three stages, and each one has a job. First you build bark. Cube four pounds of pork belly, toss it in yellow mustard so the seasoning has something to grab, then hit every side hard with Bless Yer Heart BBQ Rub by The Spice Guy. Press it in. Space the cubes out on the grate at 275°F and let them ride uncovered for two hours, until each one has a deep mahogany exterior and a bark that's firm all the way around.
Then you braise. Into a foil pan with butter, brown sugar and half a cup of Sticky Fingers Classic Original BBQ Sauce, tossed to coat and sealed tight so no steam escapes. Sixty minutes covered. The trapped steam and rendered fat break down the connective tissue from the inside out, which is what pushes these past good and into melt-in-your-mouth territory.
Get the third stage right and people will ask you about these for weeks. Foil off, another quarter cup of sauce, back on uncovered for 30 to 45 minutes. You're reducing the sauce until it stops being sauce and starts being a lacquer. Glossy and wet means they need more time. Sticky, tacky and deeply caramelized means they're ready.
A note on the sauce
This recipe uses three quarters of a cup of Sticky Fingers Classic Original, and it goes in at two different points for two different reasons. The half cup in the braise works alongside the butter and brown sugar to break the belly down. The quarter cup at the end is there to reduce and cling. It's a tangy, cherrywood-smoked sauce that tightens instead of running off the cube, which is exactly what this stage needs.
Wood and gear
Cherry or pecan are the picks here. Both bring a natural sweetness that plays off the richness of the belly and give you color without the bitterness a heavier wood leaves behind on a four hour cook. One more thing worth doing: pork belly cubes shrink as they render, and a few will find the gap in your grates. A nonstick mesh grilling mat under them solves it and makes the transfer to the foil pan a lot less fiddly.
What you need from us
Pork belly, butter, brown sugar, mustard, buns, pickles and crispy onions come from the grocery store. These come from us.
- Bless Yer Heart BBQ Rub by The Spice Guy builds the bark
- Sticky Fingers Classic Original BBQ Sauce does the braise and the glaze
- Cherry Wood Smoking Chips by Camerons for the sweet smoke this cook wants
- Nonstick 16" Mesh Grilling Mat so no cube goes through the grates
Both the rub and the sauce are in the Sticky Situation BBQ Box along with three more products and six pitmaster recipes, this one included. Free US shipping.
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Grill or SmokerSticky Pork Belly Burnt End Sliders
8-10
20 minutes
If you've never had pork belly burnt ends, this is the recipe that changes everything. Seasoned with Bless Yer Heart BBQ Rub by The Spice Guy, smoked until a deep mahogany bark forms, then braised in butter, brown sugar, and Sticky Fingers Classic Original BBQ Sauce until melt-in-your-mouth tender. Piled high on a toasted slider bun with pickles and crispy onions, these are the kind of bites that disappear before the plate hits the table.
Directions
Preheat your smoker to 275°F and load it with Cherry Wood Smoking Chips by Camerons. Cherry and pecan both bring a natural sweetness that plays off the richness of the pork belly. On a gas or pellet grill, load the chips into a smoke box set over the hottest zone.
Lay a Nonstick 16" Mesh Grilling Mat on your grate and let it come up to temp with the cooker. The cubes shrink as they render, and the mat is what keeps them out of the fire.
Toss the pork belly cubes in yellow mustard until lightly coated on all sides. The mustard acts as a binder, helping the rub adhere without affecting the final flavor.
Season generously with Bless Yer Heart BBQ Rub by The Spice Guy on all sides, pressing it in so every surface is fully covered. This is the bark foundation, so don't hold back.
Arrange the cubes on the mesh mat with space between each piece for airflow and smoke penetration. Smoke uncovered for 2 hours, until each cube has developed a deep mahogany exterior and a firm bark all the way around.
Transfer the cubes to a foil pan and add butter, brown sugar and ½ cup of Sticky Fingers Classic Original BBQ Sauce. Toss gently to coat. Cover the pan tightly with foil, sealing the edges so no steam escapes.
Return to the smoker and cook covered for 60 minutes. The trapped steam and rendered fat will braise the cubes from the inside out, breaking down the connective tissue and pushing them toward that melt-in-your-mouth texture.
Remove the foil and toss the cubes in another ¼ cup of Sticky Fingers Classic Original BBQ Sauce. Return them to the mesh mat and cook uncovered for 30 to 45 minutes, letting the sauce reduce, tighten and caramelize around every cube.
While the burnt ends finish, toast your slider buns cut-side down on the grill until golden.
Pile the burnt ends onto each bun and top with pickles, crispy onions and an extra drizzle of sauce.
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