Every once in a while, you make a thing and then you just can’t stop making that thing. This Smoked Pork Belly is that thing for us. The smoker has basically been running nonstop lately, between all the pot roast, beef jerky, and these pork belly burnt ends (aka: MEAT CANDY).

Easy to Make Smoked Pork Belly

It’s ridiculously simple to make, which is also why we have made it so frequently. Costco has a decent size pack of pork belly, so we just grab a pack on our weekly trips. With only 5 extra ingredients (6 if you count the water), it basically just makes itself. The only time-intensive part is laying out all the cubes on the smoker rack.

Pork Belly Burnt Ends Ingredients (Paleo Approved)

Having an accurate digital meat thermometer is key as well. We have at least 3 meat thermometers at home. It would be a shame to want to make a steak while the pork belly was smoking and overcook one or the other 🙂 Once those tasty cubes get up to 195°F, you mix them up with the following:

1/2 cup Butter
1/4 cup Apple Cider Vinegar
1/4 cup Water
3/4 cup Coconut Sugar
1/4 – 1/2 bottle of Your Favorite BBQ Sauce

Pop it back in the smoker and let the magic happen. And it is seriously magic. When it’s all done, the pork is crispy in all the right places, tender in others, perfectly sticky and bursting with smoky sweet flavor. Absolutely addicting.

Incredible Leftovers (make more than you need)

It’s ready to eat straight out of the pan. Doesn’t need any extra sauce or gravy, just dig in. We’ve absolutely eaten this as a main course, but it’s also great with a small amount heated up as a side dish with some perfectly fried eggs. Definitely not a terrible way to start the day.

Meat Candy {aka: Smoked Pork Belly}

Ingredients

3-4 lbs Pork Belly
1/4 cup cardnl Beef Dry Rub
1/2 cup Butter
1/4 cup Apple Cider Vinegar
1/4 cup Water
3/4 cup Coconut Sugar
1/4 - 1/2 bottle of Your Favorite BBQ Sauce (see notes)

Instructions

Turn on your electric smoker to the "smoke" setting with the lid open for about 10 minutes, or until it starts smoking. Close the lid and increase the temp to 225°F while you prep the pork belly, or at least 10 minutes.
Slice your pork belly into 1" cubes.
* If your pork belly is a slab with a thick layer of fat, trim a little fat off (not all of it though).
* If your pork belly is already cut into strips, just cut into the most even-possible cubes.
Place cubed pork in a deep roasting pan (we prefer to use disposable foil pans) and coat all of it with the Beef Dry Rub.
Lay the seasoned pork belly cubes on the wire rack in the smoker and cook until internal temp reaches 195°F.
Place pork belly cubes back in the foil baking pan, top with cubed butter, vinegar, water, coconut sugar, and BBQ sauce. Stir to combine well. Place the pan in smoker for about 1 hour, stirring once or twice.
Remove when sticky and caramelized, but not burnt-looking.
Leftovers can be reheated in a skillet over low heat with a little bit of fat (we prefer to use bacon fat) until heated through.

Notes

I prefer to use a minimal amount of BBQ sauce, but this is a personal preference. Douse it if that's your thing 😉
No nutritional data. This will vary greatly on the fat content of your pork belly, how large your pork slab is, what type of BBQ sauce you use, and how much you add.