Burnt Ends
What if you have a craving for burnt ends, but you don’t want to smoke a whole pork shoulder or beef brisket? Here is the answer.
The original recipe calls for pork belly, but pork steak works great for this (after all, it comes from the pork shoulder). It has enough fat for flavor and juiciness, at a fraction of the cost. You will probably have to ask your butcher to cut the pork steak thicker than normal (I like 1.25 inches thick, just like a beef steak) to make a nice bite sized piece – remember that in the smoker they will shrink to half their size.
The ingredients are not precise, as this is a dish that needs to be done by feel; add enough of this or that and not too much, you’ll know. I personally don’t measure anything, I just add until it looks or feels right.
These are great as an appetizer or side dish when serving other BBQ dishes.
Burnt Ends
Ingredients
- 3-5# thick cut pork steak
- Oil
- ½ – 1 cup Pork Rub
- 1/2/ – 1 cup KC style BBQ Sauce
- 2-4 Tbsp butter
- 1-3 Tbsp Honey
Instructions
- Cut the pork steak into cubes; trim any excess fat, but not too much as we need the fat to help cook the meat.
- Drizzle with enough oil for the rub to stick, and blend with your hands.
- Add the pork rub and mix thoroughly with your hands.
- Place evenly on a wire rack
- Smoke for 3 hours at 250 degrees F.
- Remove from the smoker and place the cubes into an aluminum tray. Add the BBQ sauce, butter and honey and mix thoroughly. Cover with foil.
- Put back in the smoker or in the oven for 90 minutes.
- Remove the foil and cook another 15 minutes in the smoker or oven.