Ninja Woodfire Pork Belly Burnt Ends (Low-and-Slow Method)

Pork belly burnt ends are the candy of the BBQ world — sticky, smoky cubes with a bark on the outside and a melt-in-your-mouth interior. They sound like a project, but the Ninja Woodfire Grill makes them surprisingly hands-off. About three hours from prep to plate, most of it just waiting.

Why this recipe works on the Ninja Woodfire

A traditional offset smoker takes 5–6 hours for pork belly burnt ends. The Ninja Woodfire cuts that roughly in half because the chamber is small, the heat is steady, and the pellet system feeds smoke directly to the meat without a long convection path. You get the same bark and the same render in about three hours.

The other thing the Woodfire gets right is the second stage. Once the cubes are smoked, you pan-braise them in butter, brown sugar, and sauce. The grill holds 275°F precisely, the foiled pan does the rest. No babysitting.

If you love easy Ninja Woodfire Recipes, try my recipe for Smoked Brisket on a Ninja Woodfire Grill, Ninja Woodfire Grill Tilapia, or Ninja Woodfire Grill Smoked Pork Tenderloin.

Ingredients Needed

This is enough for 4–6 people as a main, 8–10 as an appetizer.

• Pork Belly: Use pork belly, cut into cubes, as the base for the tender and flavorful burnt ends.
• Steak Rub: Coat the pork belly cubes with your preferred steak rub to add a savory, seasoned flavor.
• Butter: To create a rich and delicious glaze that will complement the pork belly.
• Brown Sugar: Add brown sugar to balance the savory flavor with a hint of sweetness.
• Barbecue Sauce: Use your favorite barbecue sauce to give the burnt ends their signature tangy and smoky flavor.

A note on the pork belly

Get a slab with even fat distribution, ideally between ¾ inch and 1 inch thick. Too thin and the cubes shrink down to nothing; too thick and the centers stay greasy. Costco’s pork belly is consistently good and usually pre-trimmed of skin. If yours has the skin on, run a sharp boning knife between the skin and fat layer — it peels off in one piece with a little patience.

A note on the rub

Sweet pork rubs (brown sugar, paprika, garlic, a little chili) caramelize beautifully under heat. Killer Hogs The BBQ Rub, Meat Church Honey Hog, or Heath Riles Sweet BBQ are all proven. Avoid anything labeled “Memphis dry rub” — too much salt and no sugar means no bark.

How to make Ninja Woodfire pork belly burnt ends

Step 1: Prep the pork belly

Trim the skin if it’s still on. Cut the slab into 1 to 1½-inch cubes — try to keep them uniform so they cook at the same rate. Toss the cubes in a bowl with the yellow mustard until lightly coated, then sprinkle the rub over the top and toss again. Every face of every cube should have rub on it.

Let the seasoned cubes sit at room temperature while the grill preheats. About 20 minutes. This isn’t optional — cold meat hitting a smoker stalls and steams instead of taking on smoke.

Step 2: Smoke at 250°F for 2 hours

Load food-grade pellets into the Woodfire’s pellet box. Hickory or apple are the classics for pork; cherry gives a slightly sweeter, redder bark. Set the grill to Smoker mode, 250°F, 2 hours. Press the Woodfire Flavor Technology button to engage the pellet burner. Wait for the display to read “Add Food” before you open the lid.

Arrange the cubes on the grill grate with at least ½ inch between them so smoke can wrap each piece. Close the lid. After about 45 minutes, spritz with apple juice. Repeat every 30 minutes. This keeps the surface tacky so smoke continues to stick — dry meat stops absorbing smoke once the bark sets. At the two-hour mark the cubes should look mahogany, with a firm bark and rendered edges. The internal temp will read around 165–175°F.

Step 3: Braise in the pan

Transfer the cubes to a half-size disposable aluminum pan. Dot the butter pats over the top, scatter the brown sugar evenly, drizzle the honey, and pour over about ¾ of the BBQ sauce (hold back the rest for finishing).

Cover the pan tightly with foil. Return it to the grill. Bump the temperature to 275°F and cook for another 60–75 minutes.

This is where the magic happens. The fat finishes rendering, the sugar and butter melt into a glaze, and the bark on the bottom softens just enough to hold sauce.

Step 4: Finish uncovered

Pull the foil off. Stir gently to coat every cube in the pan juices. Drizzle the remaining BBQ sauce over the top. Return the pan to the grill, uncovered, for 15 more minutes. The sauce will tighten and the tops will get sticky.

The burnt ends are ready when the internal temp reads 200–205°F and a toothpick slides into a cube with almost no resistance — like room-temperature butter. If they still feel firm, give them another 15 minutes. You can’t really overcook these.

What temperature should pork belly burnt ends be?

The USDA safe minimum for pork is 145°F, but pork belly is a fatty, collagen-heavy cut. At 145°F it’s safe but tough. The collagen doesn’t start breaking down until around 175°F, and you don’t get true fork-tender burnt ends until 200–205°F internal. That’s the same target as a brisket point.

Use a probe thermometer rather than going by time. Every slab is different, and a 1¼-inch cube on a humid day cooks differently than a 1-inch cube on a dry one.

How long does it take to smoke pork belly burnt ends on a Ninja Woodfire?

About three hours total: two hours uncovered at 250°F, then 60–75 minutes covered at 275°F, then 15 minutes uncovered to glaze. You can stretch the first stage to 2½ hours if you want a heavier bark, or pull at 1½ hours if your pellets are running out. The braise stage is forgiving — extra time just makes them more tender.

Best wood pellets for pork belly

• Apple — mild, fruity, classic with pork. Hard to go wrong.
• Hickory — bolder, bacon-forward. Best if your rub leans savory.
• Cherry — sweet smoke and deep red bark. Pairs well with a brown-sugar rub.
• Pecan — somewhere between apple and hickory, slightly nutty.
• Mesquite — too aggressive for a 3-hour cook. Skip it for this.

A 50/50 blend of apple and hickory is the safest crowd-pleaser if you can’t decide.

What to serve with pork belly burnt ends

These are rich, so the sides should be sharp or starchy or both.

• Hawaiian rolls, for sliders
• Tangy coleslaw — the vinegar cuts the fat
• Creamy mashed potatoes — soak up the glaze
• White Lily cornbread — Southern default
• Pickled red onions

For sliders, put two cubes on a toasted King’s Hawaiian roll with a slice of pickle. That’s the move.

Storing and reheating

• Refrigerator: Up to 4 days in an airtight container. Store the cubes in their own glaze if you can — the fat helps them stay tender.
• Freezer: Up to 3 months. Freeze flat in a zip-top bag so you can break off portions.
• Reheating: Low and covered. A 300°F oven for 15 minutes with a splash of apple juice or water in the pan brings them back nicely. The microwave works but tightens up the bark.

Common mistakes

• Cubes too small. Anything under an inch shrinks down to nothing and dries out. Err on the side of slightly larger.
• Skipping the spritz. Pellet smokers run dry. Apple juice every 30 minutes is the difference between bark and crust.
• Pulling at 165°F. This is the brisket-and-pork-shoulder rule too — you have to push through the stall to 200°F+ for tenderness, or the connective tissue stays rubbery.
• Too much sauce too early. If you sauce the cubes before the braise, the sugars burn. Always sauce after the smoke stage.
• Cheap BBQ sauce. The glaze is most of what you taste in the final bite. Use a sauce you actually like.

FAQ

Can I use a different smoker? Yes. Any pellet smoker, kamado, or offset works — just match the temperatures (250°F for the smoke, 275°F for the braise) and expect 4–5 hours total on a bigger rig.

Do I have to remove the skin? Yes, for burnt ends. Skin doesn’t render at these temperatures and you’ll end up with rubbery cubes. Save the skin for chicharrones.

Can I make these ahead? The smoke stage holds well. Smoke the cubes a day ahead, refrigerate, then do the braise and glaze the day of. They actually reheat better than they hold warm.

Why pork belly instead of pork butt for burnt ends? Pork belly is fattier and richer. Pork butt burnt ends exist (they’re called “poor man’s burnt ends”) and are leaner — good, but not the same texture.

What if I don’t have a pellet box on my grill? You can still cook this on a Ninja Woodfire without engaging Woodfire Flavor Technology. You’ll get less smoke flavor but the texture will be identical. Bump the rub up by 25% to compensate.

More Ninja Woodfire Recipes

• Ninja Woodfire Grill Smoked Pork Tenderloin
• Ninja Woodfire Blueberry Muffins
• Ninja Woodfire Grill Chicken Breast
• Ninja Woodfire Grilled Zucchini
• Ninja Woodfire Grill French Toast

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