Meat candy, anyone?! You've probably heard of 'burnt ends,' which are made from brisket, but if you've never had smoked pork belly burnt ends, you're seriously missing out. Start with our heritage breed pasture raised pork belly, dice it up into bite-sized chunks, season simply with your favorite BBQ rub (or make your own), and toss 'em on the smoker for a few hours. Once these little bites of heaven are tender and deeply colored, we smother them in BBQ sauce, butter, and honey to really amp things up. To serve, pile them onto toasted slider buns followed by some cold, crispy, creamy jalapeño slaw, with extra sauce on the side. These are wildly delicious, so be prepared for everyone to ask you to make them again and again!

INGREDIENTS

For the Pork Belly Burnt Ends –

• One 1915 Farm Pasture Raised Pork Belly Slab (or bacon ends)
• Splash of olive oil
• Your favorite pork BBQ rub (ideally something with brown sugar, or use recipe below to make your own)
• 1 cup of your favorite BBQ sauce, plus more for serving
• 4 Tbsp salted butter
• 1/3 cup honey
• 12 slider buns (Martin's brand are great, not too small)
• Disposable 8x8 foil pan (alternatively, cover an 8x8 cake pan with foil)

For the Creamy Jalapeño Slaw – 

• 1/2 cup mayo
• 3 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
• Kosher salt & freshly ground pepper
• 1 tsp honey
• 1 small head of green cabbage (or 1/2 head if very large), thinly sliced, about 2 cups
• 1/2 cup matchstick carrots / carrot shreds
• 1 jalapeño, thinly sliced on mandoline (or very thinly sliced with knife)
• 1/4 red onion, thinly sliced on mandoline ( or very thinly sliced with knife)

BBQ Rub – if making your own

• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 2 Tbsp kosher salt 
• 1 Tbsp black pepper
• 1 Tbsp paprika
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 1/4 tsp cayenne

INSTRUCTIONS

For the Pork Belly Burnt Ends – Preheat smoker or pellet grill to 250°F 

Remove pork belly from packaging, dry with paper towels, and cut into 1 1/2 inch cubes. Drizzle with a splash of olive oil and toss to coat.

Prepare a large sheet pan fitted with a wire rack. Season all sides of each cube generously with BBQ rub before placing onto wire rack. Let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes to allow seasoning to adhere, then place onto smoker for 2.5 – 3 hours, until dark red with a bark forming and meat is probe tender (about 200°F internal).

For the Creamy Jalapeño Slaw – Combine first four ingredients to make the dressing, then add cabbage, carrots, jalapeños, and red onion. Toss well to combine and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. 

Transfer pork belly to foil pan with butter, BBQ sauce, and honey. Cover tightly with foil and place back on the smoker for 60-90 minutes. Remove foil cover and continue to cook for 5-10 minutes until sauce thickens a bit and becomes sticky.

To Serve – spread inside of each slider bun with softened butter and place under broiler for a few moments to toast slightly (alternatively, place on grill). To the bottom of each bun, spread a spoonful of BBQ sauce, followed by 2-3 pork belly burnt ends, and a bit of slaw. Serve with extra BBQ sauce on the side and enjoy!

We hope you love this recipe! If you’d like to share your delicious dish on Instagram, don’t forget to tag us @1915_Farm

P.S. If you can't get enough of our pasture raised pork – consider one of our new subscription boxes (ships free in TX, reduced in other states). Choose how often you would like your subscription box delivered, add extras when you want, and pause or cancel for free anytime. We'd love to have you join the Grassroots Meat Club!