Pork Belly Burnt Ends
All our Flash Sale February featured recipes will be components of an incredible meal, just as each vanilla bean is unique but works together to add flavor and delight to everything it touches! Indonesia V. planifolia is very flexible vanilla bean, and we enjoy using it in sweet and savory dishes, like these spectacular Pork Belly Burnt Ends.
Please note: all amounts are flexible! Like all delicious barbecue, you should season liberally, with your heart.
Dry Rub and First Smoke
Dry Rub and First Smoke
- ~5 lb slab of Pork Belly
- 2-8 TBSP Elephant Ear Seasoning Salt or your favorite meat rub
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1-3 TBSP Vanilla paste
Cut the pork belly into 2" x 2" cubes. Toss with the Elephant Ear Seasoning Salt, brown sugar, and vanilla paste. Place on the rack of a smoker and cook at 250 °F for 2-4 hours, until an internal temperature reaches 160 °F. Put a tray or piece of aluminum foil under the rack to catch drips. If you don't have a smoker, you can do this on a grill or baked in the oven, but it won't be as flavorful, so we recommend adding 1-2 tsp. of liquid smoke to the seasonings you toss the meat in.
Sauce and Second Smoke
Sauce and Second Smoke
- 1-2 cups of your favorite barbecue sauce
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup of your favorite mustard
When your burnt ends have smoked for several hours and are cooked through, transfer them to an aluminum pan or an aluminum foil pouch. Add the barbecue sauce, more brown sugar, and mustard and toss to combine a bit. Cover loosely with foil or close the pouch loosely and return to the smoker at 250 °F for an additional 2-4 hours. Low and slow, baby. Trust the process. It helps if you forget about them for a while. They will get super jammy and gooey when they're done.
You can serve them right away (we do recommend letting them cool enough not to burn your tongue, but we won't judge if you can't wait) or you can refrigerate until you're ready to serve, and then broil or grill them to char up the edges before serving.
You can serve them right away (we do recommend letting them cool enough not to burn your tongue, but we won't judge if you can't wait) or you can refrigerate until you're ready to serve, and then broil or grill them to char up the edges before serving.