Bacon Burnt Ends Using Slab Bacon

Bacon Burnt Ends are tender morsels of smoky deliciousness. This fantastic recipe is perfect for Bacon Lovers everywhere!

Using slab bacon, these sticky little cubes of bacon are made with just 2 ingredients; barbecue sauce and dry rub.

Burnt Bacon End Recipe

Smoked over charcoal and wood on my kettle these bacon burnt ends are bursting with sweet and smoky goodness!!

For this recipe, I stopped by my local butcher and picked up a beautiful hunk of slab bacon.

The slab I picked up weighed in at just over 3 lbs. Truthfully, when I bought it, I wasn’t sure what I was going to do with it, but I did know one thing – one can never have too much bacon!

I later decided I would try out these pork belly burnt ends that I’ve seen others making. If pork belly is good then slab bacon is on a whole new level!

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Ingredients for Bacon Burnt Ends

Cut of Bacon: The first thing you will need for this recipe is 3 lbs of slab bacon.

Seasoning: To make this sinful appetizer, you will need a boost of flavor from 4 tbsp of Dry Rub and an optional ¼ cup of BBQ Sauce.

Optional Additional Seasoning: Brown sugar, black pepper, kosher salt, olive oil, and a couple of tablespoons of butter.

How to make Bacon Burnt Ends

Set up and heat your grill. Set up your kettle so that the coals are lit on only one side and the vent opening of the dome is opposite the coals. Place the grill grate in and bring the grill temperature to about 300 degrees F.

Prep the meat.

Cube the bacon into 2-inch chunks then season on all sides with a dry rub. Add wood pellets. Once your kettle has reached temperature add in a few handfuls of wood chips, I like chunks of cherry wood, apple, or hickory for this recipe.

Add wood pellets. Once your kettle has reached temperature add in a few handfuls of wood chips, I like chunks of cherry wood, apple, or hickory for this recipe.

Place bacon on rack and cook. Place burnt ends in a wire cooling rack on the opposite side of the coals. Cook for 1 hour.

Continue to cook. Check the color and if you are happy with the color, transfer them to an aluminum pan, and cover it with foil. Continue to cook over indirect heat for another 90 minutes to 2 hrs until Bacon Burnt Ends are tender. Use a toothpick or probe thermometer to test for tenderness.

Serve. Enjoy!

What’s the difference between Pork Belly and Slab Bacon?

Pork Belly is basically the base model car and Slab Bacon is the Deluxe package. Slab Bacon is cured using a combination of salt and sugar and then smoked.

Pork Belly is a raw unprocessed product. Both come from the abdominal area of the pig and both can be prepared using similar methods.

Slab Bacon is convenient because you can control the thickness of the slices instead of relying on the butcher.

Most often the Pork Belly will have the outer skin still attached so that when cooked the skin will become crispy.

On Slab Bacon the outer skin is removed to allow the cure and smoke to penetrate better. To learn the difference between a pork butt and a pork shoulder Click Here.

Can I turn my Weber Kettle Grill into a smoker?

A simple Weber Kettle Grill is one of the most versatile pieces of equipment you can find.

While I own many grills and smokers I always come back to my trusty Weber Kettle. Weber is also great because of the many accessories they carry.

From Cast Iron Grates to Rotisserie attachments. One fairly cheap accessory is the charcoal baskets to grill or smoke using indirect cooking.

You simply fill the basket with lump charcoal and some wood chips on one side of the grill then place your meat opposite the coals.

This method works great for everything from Ribs to brisket or today Bacon Burnt Ends. For more information on turning your Weber kettle into a smoker Click Here.

If you would like to get my secrets on the best way to clean your Weber Performer Click Here.

How do you tell when the Bacon Burnt Ends are done?

Once the Bacon Burnt Ends have cooked for a few hours and that mahogany color has been reached it’s time to transfer them to a disposable aluminum pan.

Some people like to add beer or butter or some kind of mop sauce. Because the bacon has already been cured and smoked I think that adding anything else is unnecessary.

If I used anything it would be a few pats of butter, but I will leave that to your discretion. Cover the Burnt Ends and continue to cook over indirect heat until tender.

How do you tell when the Bacon Burnt Ends are done? My favorite tried and true method is to poke them with a toothpick or probe thermometer.

If the meat seems anything short of buttery soft, continue cooking until it is.

You want a temperature of around 200-205 just like a Pork shoulder but the toothpick test is my favorite method.

To sauce or not to sauce; that is the question

I’m sure if we took a poll it would be a split decision on whether to sauce them or leave them dry.

This particular time I left them dry, but I did dip them in some bbq sauce that I served on the side.

If you choose to sauce them, do it at the very last minute and leave the Bacon Burnt Ends in the pan uncovered for just a minute. Once the sauce has set up it’s time to eat!!

Whats rub got to do with it?

Obviously, any rub will work great for this recipe, but I wanted to share that I used Signature Series Pork Rub. I have a discount code that will get you 15% off your purchase (see below)!

They have a bunch of different blends and there is not a bad one in the bunch!!

How to Reheat Bacon Burnt Ends

You can reheat your bacon burnt ends by placing them in tin foil and reheating them in a 350 degree oven for about 15 minutes. If you put bbq sauce on your burnt ends when cooking them, make sure that you spray the aluminum foil with non-stick cooking spray before you reheat them. You don’t want to lose any of your smoked, juicy, delicious burnt ends because the sauce stuck to the aluminum foil! 

You can reheat burnt ends in the microwave if you are in a hurry for those warm fatty morsels. Make sure that you put them on a microwave-safe plate with a paper towel, and just heat them in a few second bursts. You don’t want to dry them out, or have them explode in the microwave…it would be such a waste!

What to Serve with Slab Bacon Burnt Ends? 

Slab bacon burnt ends are delicious all on their own, and they would make a perfect appetizer for a tailgate party, or even a holiday get together. However, if you are looking to serve them as part of a meal you could do that too. Cole slaw, macaroni and cheese, grilled corn, and potato salad are all great side dishes to go along with smoked bacon burnt ends.

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