Noel Hassapladkis Pork Belly Burnt Ends Method Recipe

Ingredients

1 x Pork Belly
Rum & Que Soft Coq Rub
Rum & Que Rib Rocker Rub
Rum & Que Meat Juice
150 grams Butter
Pineapple Juice
Brown Sugar

Preparation

1. Make an incision at one end of the Pork Belly to remove the top layer of skin, leaving a fat cap on the meat.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. Cut the sections crossways into cubes. Where the pork belly becomes thin, cut into slightly longer pieces so that these pieces don’t overcook.
5. 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.
6. Leave the burnt ends for 20 minutes to sweat.
7. 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.
8. Cook burnt ends for an hour, checking the pork for spritzing on the hour mark before cooking for a further hour in the pit.
9. At the two-hour mark, remove the burnt ends from the pit. They should have a nice bark and be a mahogany brown colour.
10. 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.
11. Cover the tray with foil ensuring a tight seal so that no moisture escapes in the last part of the cook.
12. With the pit running at 300F, cook for a further two hours before probing for softness.
13. After two hours, remove the burnt ends from the pit. The pork should be tender and the juices caramelized.
14. Serve up and enjoy!