Hello everyone I made burnt ends for the first time the flavor is there but they are tougher than they should be. Not overly tough or just not fall apart like I'm use to any ideas what I could do better next time

by ScarIll311

7 Comments

  1. TheSwedishOprah

    This is pork belly, yeah? Did you check them with a probe for temp and tenderness when you took them off? A probe should go in with zero resistance, and the internal temp of the bigger pieces should be 205°F or so.

    I’ve also found that these really do benefit from resting – when I pull my pork belly burnt ends from the smoker I’ll usually wrap the tray in foil and put in my oven as low as it will go for a couple of hours if I have time and that helps them become even more tender.

  2. thenexttimebandit

    You gotta tell us what you did for us to help you.

  3. Best-Ad4738

    When they’re tough that means they were overcooked, I’ve done this many times and it’s a very easy mistake to make — with burnt ends I’ve found that lower and slower and opting to almost aim to “under” cook them. You can always put them on longer but you can never undo it when they’re overcooked.

    Also, pork belly burnt ends are sooooo good but I’m an even bigger fan of pork shoulder burnt ends — they’re cheaper and just come out fantastic everytime. I make burnt ends for my roommates, my girlfriend, and just about everyone i know and they all agree with me on pork butt being the best. I’ve made them brisket burnt ends, pork belly burnt ends, chuck roast burnt ends, and nothing beats the pork butt!!

  4. panda_supra

    I always go with less smoke on these and they turn out better. I used to go for dark brown, but now I’m okay with them being a much lighter color.

  5. temporary243958

    Next time rotate the picture before you post it.

  6. Wompzila

    I would cover them and let them sit for another hour or so if they are tuff. Just me tho 🙂

  7. Careless-Resource-72

    If the meat part is like beef jerky and the fat isn’t melt in your mouth jelly soft, it’s definitely undercooked. That happened to me the first time. The next time I cooked it in the covered pan segment longer with the pan tightly covered and they were incredibly tender. They remained tender even as I munched on them out of the refrigerator for the next several days firming up just a little more than out of the smoker.

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