Noel Hassapladkis Pork Belly Burnt Ends Method Recipe
Preparation
- Make an incision at one end of the Pork Belly to remove the top layer of skin, leaving a fat cap on the meat.
- Flip over the Pork Belly, fat side down and trim any excess silverskin, bone or cartilage from the meat to allow the rub to penetrate deep into the meat.
- Slice the pork belly into roughly 2.5 to 3cm sections. NOTE: If you cut too smaller cubes they will shrink in the cook and become rubbery and hard to chew rather than the marshmallowy texture you’re aiming to achieve. A good tip is to cut 0.5cm bigger than what you think as they shrink 30% during the cook.
- Cut the sections crossways into cubes. Where the pork belly becomes thin, cut into slightly longer pieces so that these pieces don’t overcook.
- Take a handful of Rib Rocker, and slightly less of the Soft Coq and mix together in a bowl before completely coating the pork cubes.
- Leave the burnt ends for 20 minutes to sweat.
- Place the burnt ends onto a rack fat side up and place into the Masterbuilt Gravity Series™ 560 Digital Charcoal Grill + Smoker at 275 – 300F. When racking, try to avoid the burnt ends touching to allow the smoke to evenly penetrate all sides of the burnt ends.
- Cook burnt ends for an hour, checking the pork for spritzing on the hour mark before cooking for a further hour in the pit.
- At the two-hour mark, remove the burnt ends from the pit. They should have a nice bark and be a mahogany brown colour.
- Transfer the burnt ends to a foil tray. Cube the butter and sprinkle evenly over the pork, followed by the brown sugar, a generous coating of meat juice and pineapple juice to cover the burnt ends halfway up.
- Cover the tray with foil ensuring a tight seal so that no moisture escapes in the last part of the cook.
- With the pit running at 300F, cook for a further two hours before probing for softness.
- After two hours, remove the burnt ends from the pit. The pork should be tender and the juices caramelized.
- Serve up and enjoy!