I am fairly confident that almost everybody loves burnt ends. The thing is, sometimes you don’t have time to do a brisket, and pork belly burnt ends are so rich that you really have to watch how many of those tasty morsels you wolf down. Then it came to me, the best of both worlds. Why not use a pork butt (Boston butt)? It has a great fat content that will render down as well as a nice meaty bite of pork. After a handful of trials, I came up with a great recipe that delivers the smoke, the spice, the sticky sweet … all of it. They’re fabulous! They have moved way up the ladder of things I love to prepare on the smoker. You have to try this if you already haven’t. Decreased cook time, super flavor. A solid win for me! I am sure that this method can be adapted to a myriad of grills, but I will be focusing on using a smoker. Also, depending on the crowd, you can either cut this recipe in half or double it as needed. I have literally cut half of a pork butt into cubes for burnt ends and smoked the other half for some chopped pork.
Ingredients Needed
This doesn’t call for a whole lot of crazy ingredients. The rub itself has a fair number of spices in it. I came up with this rub after years of smoking various pieces of meat. It has a slightly sweet smoky taste with a little heat on the back. I’ll put it on about everything.
The Pork
Boneless Pork Butt (Boston butt) – Approximately 8 lbs.
The Rub
The amounts you will need can be found in the recipe card. These spices are listed just so you can get a quick overview. As I previously said, this stuff rocks. It’s not oversweet or over-spicy. It’s a nice perfect balance that goes great with this, as well as other smoked pork cooks.
PaprikaSmoked paprikaGarlic powderChili powderKosher saltBlack pepperOnion powderBrown sugarDried oreganoDried thymeCuminDry mustardCayenne
The Glaze
Ah, the sticky sweet goodness that makes this smoked pork stand up and be seen! Nothing too crazy here either.
Hot honey (you can find this pretty much anywhere)Brown SugarYour favorite barbecue sauce (barbeque sauce)ButterSome of the remaining rub
How To Make Pork Butt Burnt Ends
Preparing The Rub
This step is pretty straightforward. Mix all the spices together in a bowl until they are well combined. Set the spice mixture aside until the meat is ready for the rub.
Preparing The Pork
Trim away most of the fat using a sharp knife. There is plenty of fat within the pork, you won’t need this. Furthermore, as these are cubes … bites of pork, you want that smoke to get into the meat. That fat will prevent the rub and smoke to penetrate. The smoke time on this is much less than doing a whole pork butt so trim it pretty well. Cut the pork butt into 1½ inch cubes. There will be bits and pieces that don’t conform. Trim them as well and discard them. They’ll just burn up during the smoking process. Once you have the pork butt cubed, place them into a large receptacle, mixing bowl, or disposable aluminum pan. Begin to add the rub. I recommend using a binder of mustard but this is not required. Coat it pretty generously and mix it up. Continue to sprinkle rub, mix and toss the cubes until all the pieces are covered well. The rub makes about 2 cups and I usually use 1 cup of the rub during this process. Place the cubes on some baking cooling racks so they’re ready to go onto the smoker. Alternatively, you can place them on the grates directly. Cleaning the grill grate might be a pain afterward, though.
Smoke
Get the smoker to 225 degrees F. I personally use hickory and cherry wood. The hickory wood is an aggressive smoke while the cherry gives the pork a great color. You can also use pecan or oak. If you have a personal preference, run with it. Smoke the pork for approximately 1 hour somewhere around 225 to 250 degrees F. This step is just getting some color and some smoke on the meat. The real cooking of the pork will come later. The internal temperature of the meat should be around 165 to 170 degrees F. When the pork has started to get some good color and is starting to form a bark pull from the smoker. Increase your heat to about 275 degrees F. The first is an instant-read thermometer and is perfect for testing any kind of meat quickly. The other is the Fireboard. Just read up on this thing. It’s amazing for any backyard barbeque cook!
Braise
Yep, braise. This is the key to getting the pork nice and tender, trust me. I have tried various methods working on this technique and it’s very easy to smoke this meat that makes it super tough. I have found that braising is the best way of tenderizing this particular meat in a timely manner. Plus the braising liquid imparts tons of flavor into the meat. Place your pork cubes into a disposable aluminum tin. Disposable aluminum pans are your friend, get some if you don’t have any. Add approximately 12 ounces of pineapple juice and add enough apple juice to come up about half the height of your pork cubes. For me, this was about 2 cups but it will be different depending on the size of your pan. Add a couple of tablespoons of the rub as well and stir to combine. Cover with foil and place back onto your smoker. Braise for about an hour and a half at 275 degrees F. At this point, your pork bites should be starting to tenderize. You will need to check the meat to determine how tender you want. The internal temp should be at least 205 degrees F. Some like a decent pull on the bite while others prefer the meat to just fall apart. After the hour mark, I would continue to check every 15 to 20 minutes or so. Also, if it braises too long, the meat can be so tender that adding the glaze might cause the meat to fall apart on you. It all comes down to your personal preference at this point. When the meat has reached your personal level of doneness, remove it from the smoker and drain the braising liquid.
Glaze
This is always the fun part for me. The meat is done and it’s time to add the crazy sweetness. Add half of the hot honey, your favorite bbq sauce, brown sugar, butter, and two tablespoons of the rub. Mix with utensils or gloved hands. Repeat the process with the remaining glaze ingredients until each piece has been sufficiently covered. Place back onto the smoker which should still be at 275. Cook for 45 more minutes, stirring every 15 minutes or so. After 45 minutes, remove from the smoker and allow to rest for about 10-15 minutes. If you want them to really tack up, you can place them back onto the cooling racks and place back in for about 15 more minutes.
Serve
Time to delve into this meat candy. The spiciness of the rub combined with the smoke and that sticky-sweet glaze is BBQ nirvana! The pork is super tender and all those different flavors explode in an epicurean firestorm of deliciousness. I worked on this recipe for a while, trying this and that. This works, and it works well. These little bites of delectable pork butt burnt ends make a perfect appetizer or side dish. It also can be served as a main dish at your next get-together, tailgate party, or just some weekend barbecueing fun. Pork butt burnt ends might become a great go-to for you as well. If you’re looking for other barbeque recipes, check out some of those below.
Other Barbeque Recipes
Double Bone-In Smoked Pork ChopsSmoked Pork Shoulder RecipeSmoked Turkey Breast Easy And PerfectHow To Smoke A Whole ChickenEasy Barbecue Baked Beans Recipe
