I make this BBQ two different ways. Traditionally I have smoked pork belly whole, then cubed it, sauced it and finished the burnt ends cooking process. However, today I am going to focus on my preferred method that has become more popular as of late which includes cubing the belly before it's smoked. This allows for the meat to absorb smoke on all sides of the cube and makes for a tasty bite.
Video for this recipe ->
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=omEpZI18OtM&t=25s
Ingredients- 1 Skinless Pork Belly
- Meat Church Honey Hog, Honey Hog Hot or The Gospel (depending on your taste buds desires)
- Meat Mitch Naked Sauce (sub your fav sweet sauce)
- Burleson’s clover honey
- 2 ½ disposable aluminum steam pans
- Apple juice for spritzing
- Wire rack
- Instant Read Thermometer
- Texas Pepper Jelly Apple Cherry Habanero Rib Candy
Optional Cowboy Candied Jalapeños recipe: http://bit.ly/candyjalapenos
Prepare your SmokerPrepare your smoker at a temperature of 275 degrees. I recommend medium smoke wood for this cook such as hickory or pecan.
Butcher the Pork Belly
Cube the pork belly into 1” x 1” cubes.
Season the Pork Belly
Thoroughly coat all sides of the pork belly cubes with your choice of Honey Hog, or The Gospel. You can even use Holy Gospel or Honey Hog Hot. I prefer a spicier rub becuase I finish these with a sweet sauce. Allow the rub to adhere on all sides for at least 15 minutes.
Smoke the Pork Belly
Place the pork belly in the smoker fat-side up. I prefer to do this on a wire rack. This cook will take 3 hours. Spritz the pork belly with apple juice every 45 minutes or whenever it starts to look dry. Using your Thermapen MK4, pull the belly when the meat reaches an internal temperature of 190°F - 195°F. Some people pull there belly a lot earlier, but I want it really tender!
Finish the Burnt Ends
Place the cubes in the 1/2 aluminum pan. Season and toss the cubes with more Meat Church rub. Cover the cubes with Meat Mitch NAKED BBQ sauce. Drizzle Burleson’s honey across the top. Optionally, add the Apple Cherry Hab rib candy to taste. Finally, toss the cubes thoroughly to ensure they are completely covered.
Return the pan (uncovered) to the smoker and cook for another hour or until all liquid has reduced and caramelized. Allow to cool for 15 minutes and enjoy!
