BBQ Pork Belly Bites
Pork Belly is the brisket of the pig, rich in fat and when slow cooked on a BBQ pit, rewards you with a scrumptious dinner. You will want a BBQ, smoker, or pellet grill for this one to get the authentic smoke flavor and to set a good bark. Pair this meal with mashed potatoes and gravy or cheddar and blue cheese grits, a fresh salad, and green beans.
Directions
The night before, prepare your pork belly:
Most pork belly comes with the skin removed, make sure yours does as well. In addition, most pork belly already has the fat trimmed to the right amount, so you should not need to make any additional trimming.
Cut the pork belly into ~1.25-inch cubes.
Spread the cut pork belly cubes into a shallow pan and drizzle with enough olive oil to lightly coat each cube. This provides a "binder" for the seasoning to adhere to.
Sprinkle an ample amount of SPG (salt, pepper, garlic) or your favorite BBQ rub to get a generous covering on each pork cube.
Put the pork in a 1-gallon heavy-duty zip lock baggy, remove air and let it marinate overnight in the fridge.
* Plan on about 6 hours total for the pork belly bites to be ready to eat. Working backward from your dinner time, start your BBQ with enough time to accommodate cooking.*
Remove the seasoned pork belly from the fridge and arrange slightly separated on a baker's rack. Note: using a baker's rack will facilitate arranging the pork cubes on the grill and make it super easy to handle.
Start your BBQ grill. Bring it up to 225 degrees. If using a pellet grill, consider using a smoke tube to get the extra smoke flavor and to assist with bark formation.
Once the grill is at temperature, put the pork on and smoke for about 3 hours, or until the internal temperature is about 165 degrees.
Do not mop, check or otherwise disturb the pork while cooking. Remember, when you are looking you ain't cooking!
As the cooking progresses, prepare the braising sauce:
In a microwave-safe dish, combine the butter, brown sugar, Crown Maple Syrup, and BBQ sauce.
On low power, microwave the mixture 1 minute at a time, stir, and repeat until the sauce is fully melted and warm. Do not boil the sauce, just warm it enough to melt the butter and dissolve the brown sugar.
Once the pork cubes are at 165 degrees (time varies, but about 3 hours):
Remove the pork from the grill. Raise the grill temperature to 275 degrees.
Transfer the pork to a shallow, disposable aluminum pan, then pour the braising sauce over the pork. Use a large spoon to ensure complete coverage of all cubes.
Seal the top of the foil pan with a sheet of aluminum foil.
Put the dish on the grill which should now be 275 degrees.
Cook undisturbed for about 90 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 205 degrees.
Once the pork reaches an internal temp of 205 degrees:
Remove the pan from the grill, leaving the BBQ set at 275 degrees.
Carefully transfer the pork from the pan back to the baking racks with some space between each cube.
Grill for about 20 minutes or until the glaze sets.
Once the glaze sets, remove the pork belly bites from the grill and put them in a serving dish where they can rest for 15 minutes.
Serve hot with your desired sides!
Include a big, tannic red to stand up to the rich pork belly fat and glaze!
Ingredients
4 lbs Boneless, skinless uncut Pork Belly
olive oil
1/4 cup SPG seasoning, or your preferred BBQ rub
1 stick butter, softened
3/4 cup Crown Maple Syrup
1 cup brown sugar
1 1/4 cups Stubb's BBQ sauce (or use your favorite)
1 large, disposable aluminum foil pan
heavy duty aluminum foil
1 or 2 bakers rack, with sufficient area to hold pork cubes separated from each other
