Sweet, smoky perfection

This is a fun BBQ recipe to enjoy with it’s sweet and smoky flavours – enjoy pork burnt ends with maple syrup& bourbon and worry about the diet another day

  • Prep Time: 20
  • Cook Time: 1-2hrs
  • Serves: 4
  • Difficulty: easy
  • Ideal for: barbecue

Pork Burnt Ends — Sweet, Smoky Perfection

The Magic of Burnt Ends — Reimagined with Pasture-Raised Pork

There’s a reason burnt ends have become barbecue royalty — those caramelised cubes of smoky meat, lacquered in sauce, are pure flavour fireworks.

Traditionally made from beef brisket, pork burnt ends offer a slightly sweeter, more tender experience — especially when made from pasture-raised, regeneratively farmed pork.

When you start with high-quality pork — from animals raised outdoors on natural pasture, foraging and rooting in living soil — you get more than great taste. You get a product that supports soil health, biodiversity, and small farmers committed to rebuilding the land.

These Pork Burnt Ends are a love letter to that kind of integrity in food — proof that conscious sourcing doesn’t mean sacrificing indulgence.

Quite the opposite: it elevates it.

Choosing the Right Pork: Why Regenerative Matters

Regenerative farms focus on replenishing the soil rather than depleting it. Pigs raised on rotational pastures live as they should — outdoors, rooting and grazing, which leads to:

  • Better flavour: more marbling, richer fat, and deeper colour.
  • Better for the planet: improved carbon sequestration and soil fertility.
  • Better for animal welfare: freedom to roam and express natural behaviour.

Look for pork labeled “pasture-raised,” “regeneratively farmed,” or “Animal Welfare Approved.” If you have a local butcher or farmers’ market nearby, ask about their sourcing — your taste buds (and the planet) will thank you.

Or check out Freybors online butcher

PORK BELLY:

  • 1 kg Pork Belly cubed (pastured-raised if possible)

DRY RUB

  • 1 tsp cayenne
  • 2 tsp paprika
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • salt and pepper

BBQ SAUCE:

  • 3 tbsp Maple Syrup
  • 3 tbsp Bourbon
  • 3 tbsp butter (melted)
  • 1 tbsp brown sugar

INSTRUCTIONS 

  • Start by lathering your cubed pork belly with oil then thoroughly season with the dry rub seasoning or your favourite pork rub. 
  • Set in the fridge for 1-2 hours
  • Get your BBQ coals going so you have a nice hot grey coals i.e. no flames
  • In a bowl, melt the butter and add the brown sugar, maple and bourbon to create a lush sauce
  • Add your pork belly to the BBQ and keep turning them while the fat renders down and baste with the maple and bourbon sauce (reserving some of it for the very end)
  • Once done, top with the rest of the maple and bourbon sauce and serve

A Final Thought: Taste the Change

When you choose regeneratively raised pork, you’re not just buying meat — you’re voting for a better food system. You’re supporting farmers who care about their land, animals, and community. And the reward? Meat that tastes like what pork should taste like: richly marbled, beautifully tender, and full of life.

Every smoky bite of these pork burnt ends carries that story — one of soil, stewardship, and the sweet, sticky joy of barbecue done right.

For more BBQ ideas, visit Top tips to become a legend at the BBQ