Pork Butt Burnt Ends

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These pork butt burnt ends are sticky, saucy, sweet morsels of meat that taste nothing like the pulled pork that you usually make from this cut of pork. If you love the classic brisket burnt ends, then try this version made from pork butt!

We’ve made lots of different burnt ends recipes in the past, from your traditional brisket burnt ends after smoking a whole brisket to pork belly burnt ends. But we had never tried making the “meat candy” using pork butt (or Boston butt).

So when I found bone-in pork butts on sale for BOGO at my local grocery store, I knew the time had come to try my hand at some pork butt burnt ends.

To say that these pork burnt ends are made the same way as the classic brisket burnt ends would be a mistake. Whereas you smoke the brisket whole before cutting into cubes, the process is a bit reversed when using pork butt. But the results are *almost* as tasty – yes, I do still prefer the burnt ends made from the brisket point, but these are still worth a spot on your table.

Pork Butt Burnt Ends Video

Ingredients

• pork butt – This popular cut of pork is usually smoked low and slow and then shredded for sandwiches or to serve alongside traditional barbecue sides. Sometimes called Boston butt. Boneless pork butts are difficult to find, so grab a bone-in butt if you’re not afraid of a bit more work.
• yellow mustard and Worcestershire sauce – I used a mixture of these as a binder.
• barbecue rub – We used our own ‘Que That Barbecue Rub and Seasoning. The sweet hickory flavors work perfectly with this recipe. You can substitute your favorite barbecue seasoning for pork.
• BBQ sauce – Use your favorite. I used Blue’s Hog Smokey Mountain. For this recipe, I would look for a barbecue sauce that is on the sweeter side, especially since you’ll be adding hot sauce and apple cider vinegar. Adjust the amounts of the other glaze ingredients based on the sweetness of your chosen bbq sauce.
• brown sugar
• apple cider vinegar – This adds a nice contrast to the sweetness of the sauce and brown sugar.
• hot sauce – I like to add two types of hot sauce for a more complex flavor profile – a vinegar-based hot sauce and sriracha. The combination of the two is perfect, because the sriracha is more of a creamy texture.
• butter – Pads of butter add a richness to the final sauce.

Removing the Bone from the Pork Butt

Most pork butts that you find in grocery stores contain a bone, which is exactly what you want for pulled pork, but not so much with burnt ends. So you will need to remove the diagonal, Y-shaped blade bone before cutting the pork. Thankfully, the process is fairly straightforward and the bone is large and easy to remove.

Start by patting the pork butt dry with paper towels so that it doesn’t slide around on the cutting board. *TIP – You can also wet a dish rag or kitchen towel and place the wet rag underneath your cutting board, in between the board and the countertop. This keeps your cutting board from sliding around as well.

Find where the large blade bone is exposed, and use a 7-8″ filet or boning knife to cut down the sides of the bone with shallow strokes, pulling the meat back as you go.

If the bone in your Boston butt is not exposed, then you can look for the large diagonal strip of white fat that goes through the entire butt. Make a small slit in the fat, and then you should be able to pull it apart, separating your butt into two large chunks. From there, you should have better access to the bone to be able to remove it.

Once the bone is removed, the process of cutting the pork is similar to making country style ribs (if you’ve ever cut them yourself from the pork butt). Simply slice the butt into long strips that are about 1.5″ thick. Then cut the strips into cubes.

As you separate the meat, take this opportunity to remove excessive fat. While some fat is essential for flavor, too much can overpower the dish and it may not render fully since the pork burnt ends cook much more quickly than a traditional Boston butt for pulled pork.

How to Make Pork Butt Burnt Ends

Here’s a step-by-step look at the process to make pork butt burnt ends on the pellet grill. More detailed instructions are provided in the recipe card at the end of this post.

Step 1: Coat the pork pieces in a binder. After your pork butt is cut down into cubes, toss in a large bowl with some yellow mustard and Worcestershire sauce as a binder. This helps the seasoning stick, but you won’t taste the mustard in the final product.

Step 2: Season the pork chunks. Place the chunks of meat on a wire cooling rack set on top of a sheet tray. I also used a piece of peach paper to protect my sheet tray and make it easier to clean afterwards.

Step 3: Smoke the cubes of pork on the grill or smoker. Place the tray on the pellet grill or smoker, and smoke low and slow at about 225°F until the internal temp of the pork reaches about 160°F. I also used super smoke mode on my Traeger Woodridge Elite grill, and I flipped the pork pieces halfway through so that they smoked evenly.

Step 4: Toss the pork burnt ends in the barbecue sauce mixture. When the pork is almost to 160°F, make the barbecue sauce mixture in an aluminum foil pan. This saves you a few dishes, and you can just throw the pan away when the burnt ends are done – trust me, cleaning stuck-on sugary barbecue sauce off your pan after it’s been on the grill is the worst!

Just add all of the sauce ingredients and mix together well directly in the pan. Adjust sweetness or heat to taste. Then toss the cubes of smoked pork in the pan with the sauce until they are well coated.

Step 5: Arrange pork burnt ends in the foil pan with butter slices on top. Raise the grill temperature to 275°F. Arrange the glazed pieces into a fairly even layer in the foil pan, and add thinly sliced butter medallions across the top.

Step 6: Continue to cook until done. Return the coated pork to the smoker for an additional session, allowing the glaze to caramelize and the butter to fully integrate into the meat. Cook until the pork butt burnt ends reach an internal temperature of about 200-205°F, or until they reach your desired tenderness and develop a beautiful deep color.

Post-smoking, transfer the burnt ends to a serving tray and allow the pork to cool briefly. The result? Sweet, smoky, incredibly tender bites with a delightful bark that your guests will rave about.

Storing and Reheating Leftovers

If you have any of these pork burnt ends leftover (doubtful!), you can store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days. Reheat gently to avoid drying them out, ideally in a covered dish at a low temperature.

How long does it take to make smoked pork butt burnt ends?

The cooking time will vary greatly based on the heating capabilities of your grill, how close your pellet grill runs to the set temperature, the size of your pork cubes, etc. Our burnt ends took about 3.5 hours to cook at 225°F, and then an additional 3 hours at a grill temp of 275°F.

*NOTE – Cooking times will vary. You should always cook your smoked meats to the proper internal temp and desired doneness, not to a specific time. The times provided in this recipe are a guide only.

What cut of pork do I need for pork burnt ends?

Look for a cut that specifically says “butt”. It will either be labeled as “pork butt” or “Boston butt”. The pork shoulder, sometimes called a picnic shoulder or picnic roast, comes from a different area of the pig, and it is not as tender or as well-marbled. You’ll get the best results from a pork butt.

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