Pork Burnt Ends

This recipe for pork burnt ends is one of my favorites and a great way to work with pork belly. You’ll see, you’ll come out with some seriously delicious burnt ends!

Here’s how to make them:

Required tools:

• House of BBQ Experts Competition Injector

Ingredients:

• Whole Nagano pork flank
• ½ cup Butcher BBQ Pork Injection and Sugar Daddy Bacon BBQ Sauce 
• 2 cups water
• House of BBQ Experts Booster to taste
• House of BBQ Experts Kansas Spice Mix and Rub to taste
• House of BBQ Experts Champion Sauce to taste

Directions:

1. Preheat the BBQ* to between 275 and 280°F.
2. In a bowl, mix the Pork Injection with water. Strain the mixture and pull it into the Competition Injector.
3. Using the competition injector, inject the mixture into each inch of the pork belly, making sure to move the injector needle slowly (back and forth) with each insertion**. 
4. Once the meat is well injected, slice the pork belly into cubes, approximately 2 inches by 2 inches.
5. Season the pork cubes with the Booster, sprinkling it over each cube. (Be careful not to put too much. You still want to see the meat through the Booster.)
6. Season the pork cubes again, but this time with a generous amount of Sweet Kansas dry rub. Sprinkle the dry rub over each cube. 
7. Place the pork cubes on the BBQ, making sure to position the thickest cubes toward the back and the thinnest toward the front. Let them cook in the indirect heat zone for about 2 to 3 hours, until the meat reaches an internal temperature between 200 and 205°F and has a nice crust.
8. Remove the cubes from the BBQ and place them on an aluminum tray. Pour a little Champion sauce over the cubes, then move the pan around to coat the cubes with the sauce.
9. Put the cubes back on the BBQ for a few minutes, until they are nicely caramelized.
10. Take the cubes off the BBQ and enjoy these delicious  “pork candies” without moderation!

*You can make this recipe on any BBQ, but I recommend using one that can hold wood chips; maple or apple wood both work really well with pork.

** To keep the injection mixture from dripping onto your work surface, you can set your meat down on an aluminum tray before you start injecting it.