Pork Butt Burnt Ends

Love pork belly burnt ends but want something meatier and more budget-friendly? Pork butt burnt ends deliver the same sticky, smoky, and caramelized goodness—without the extra fat or high price tag.

These burnt ends are meaty, flavorful, and ridiculously easy to make. Serve them as an appetizer or main dish in sliders with sliced white bread.

Pork butt burnt ends are a must-smoke because…

• They’re a meatier alternative to pork belly burnt ends – You still get that crispy, caramelized bark, but with a heartier, more satisfying bite.
• Smoky, sticky, and loaded with BBQ flavor – Smoked low and slow, then glazed with BBQ sauce and brown sugar for the perfect balance of sweet, smoky, and savory.
• Easier and more budget-friendly than pork belly – Pork butt is up to 40% cheaper than pork belly and easier to find while still delivering incredible results.
• Perfect for any cookout or BBQ spread – Serve them as part of a BBQ platter, pile them onto sliders, mix them into mac and cheese, or enjoy them straight off the tray.

What you need for pork butt burnt ends

• Pork butt (Boston butt) – Boneless or bone-in pork butt works, but boneless is easier to cube since the bone can make trimming more difficult.
• Yellow mustard (binder, optional) – Helps the seasoning adhere without adding flavor.
• BBQ rub – A sweet BBQ rub works best like our pork rub.
• Unsalted butter – Adds richness and helps create a glossy glaze.
• Brown sugar (or honey as a substitute) – Caramelizes to form a sticky, sweet crust.
• BBQ sauce – A thick sauce coats the burnt ends best; go classic or experiment with different flavors. Our homemade BBQ sauce is a great option.
• Wood for smoking – Hickory, cherry, or a blend of both for a balanced smoky flavor.

Pork Butt vs. Pork Belly Burnt Ends

Pork belly burnt ends are a barbecue staple, popular in competition BBQ circuits and restaurants, especially around Kansas City, Memphis, and throughout the Midwest and Southeast.

Pork butt burnt ends give you that same sticky, smoky, caramelized BBQ flavor—just with a meatier texture and a more budget-friendly cut.

Times and temps

Step	Time	Smoker Temp	Temp Goal
Smoke uncovered	2.5 – 3 hours	250°F	165-175°F​
Sauce & wrap	1 – 1.5 hours	250°F	200°F+​
Caramelize uncovered	15 – 20 mins	250°F
Rest before serving	20 – 30 mins

🔥 Pro Tip: Test at least 4-5 pieces with an instant-read thermometer to ensure all burnt ends have hit 200°F+ for that perfectly tender texture​

How to make pork butt burnt ends step-by-step instructions

1. Cube the pork

Unlike traditional brisket burnt ends where you smoke the brisket whole, and then chop the point into burnt ends, these pork butt burnt ends are cubed from the beginning.

Start by slicing the pork butt into pork steaks about 1-½ to 2″ thick.

Then, take those steaks and cut them into equal width cubes.

You are going to end up with pieces that don’t quite conform to the cube shape, but you can still smoke those.

2. Season the pork cubes

Once your pork butt is cut into cubes, you want to coat the meat in a binder like olive oil or mustard to help your rub stick.

Now it’s time to season your pork butt cubes. I used Notorious PIG Pulled Pork rub by PS Seasoning for this recipe. It’s one of my favorite rubs for making pulled pork and it works great for this recipe.

You can use any sweet store-bought BBQ rub, or if you want to make your own whip up our BBQ Pork Rub.

Make sure each cube is well seasoned on all sides before transferring to a wire rack. They should be about 1-1½” apart to allow for each side to be exposed to smoke.

3. Smoke

Fire up your smoker to 250°F. For this recipe, I used my Masterbuilt Gravity Series 1050. It’s a gravity-fed charcoal smoker. For the charcoal, I used B&B Charcoal Mesquite Lump charcoal.

While I usually prefer Pecan when I’m smoking pork, I find that Mesquite can provide a really great smoky flavor and I wanted to kick up the smoke for this recipe.

Once your smoker reaches 250°F, place the wire rack with your pork butt burnt ends on the grates.

You’re going to let them smoke for about 2½ to 3 hours.

4. Sauce and wrap

You can use any oven-safe pan, but I like using disposable aluminum trays because cleanup can be a little tricky with burnt ends. It’s much easier to dispose of the tray than to sit over the sink trying to scrub burnt sauce off of a pan—but you do you!

In a medium-sized bowl, combine barbecue sauce and melted butter.

Transfer your burnt ends to the aluminum tray (be careful, they’re hot!), and then pour the barbecue sauce and butter mixture all over the top.

Give them a good shake until each piece is well-coated in that mixture. Then, grab some brown sugar and sprinkle it all over the top.

Cover the aluminum tray with aluminum foil. This will trap the steam and moisture and help keep the burnt ends from drying out during the final part of the cooking process.

5. Final smoke

Place the aluminum tray back on the smoker for another 1-1½ hours or until the internal temperature of the pork butt burnt ends are over 200°F.

I like to test the temperature of at least 4 to 5 of the burnt ends, and if they are all up over the 200°F mark, then I know the whole batch is good to go.

For taking quick temperatures, I like to use my Thermoworks ThermoPop. It’s a super easy-to-use instant read thermometer that takes temperature almost instantaneously so you don’t have to leave the smoker open too long.

6. Let them rest

Once your burnt ends are up over 200°F internal, pull them off and let them rest for 20 to 30 minutes.

This is partially just to let them cool down (because no one wants to put 200°F meat into their mouth!) and also to allow the moisture in the meat to redistribute, which is key for maximum tenderness.

Serving ideas

You can serve pork butt burnt ends as a snack or appetizer or even as the main dish.

Serve with a big stack of slider buns or tortillas, extra sauce, and pickles, for an epic make-your-own BBQ feast.

I also recommend you try shredding them up for one of the best, saucy pulled pork sandwiches you will ever have!

Storage & Reheating

If you can’t serve these right away, leave them in the covered aluminum foil pan, wrap a few old towels around them, and place them in a cooler. You can leave them this way for several hours, and they will still be hot and ready to serve.

If you want to make these ahead and reheat, leave them in the foil pan with the juices and then reheat in the smoker or oven at 250°F for 20 minutes. You can remove the foil for the final 5 minutes to help the sauce thicken up.

More burnt ends recipes

Pork Butt Burnt Ends Recipe

These budget-friendly burnt ends are great if you want big flavors with minimal effort. Tried it out? Leave a star rating below and let us know how it turned out!