Gameday Recipe: Smoked Pork Belly Burnt Ends
Pork belly burnt ends are one of our favorites in our house. They are a delicious, hand held bite that have so much flavor. The cooking process is fairly easy as well. Let's get into it.
1. Start by poking lots of tiny holes in your pork belly and putting a layer of alt on top. Let it sit in the fridge overnight before you smoke it the next day. This will help pull out some of the moisture and produce a crispier burnt end the next day.
2. The next morning, remove any extra salt on top. Next, you are going to cut the pork belly into cubes. Rub the pork belly with a binder of your choice. I am going to use a hot sauce/mustard combination. You do not need a heavy layer but make sure all sides are covered. Next, season the pieces with a healthy amount of barbecue seasoning on each side. Once all the pieces are seasoned, place each piece onto a rack to prepare to smoke.
3. Set your smoker to 250 degrees. Smoke for 3-4 hours and take pork out and place into a cast iron. Add brown sugar, butter and honey to the cast iron. Cover the burnt ends with foil and place them back into the smoker until they have an internal temperature of 195-205 degrees. Lastly, take the foil off, sauce the pork with a barbecue sauce of your choice and smoke for ten more minutes. Your burnt ends are ready to eat!
— Otto Ball (@OttoGoBlue9) September 5, 2025
Beer of the Week
Lagunitas IPA
Lagunitas IPA is a refreshing West Coast IPA that pairs great with the smoky, rich tasting burnt ends. It will cut through the fat nicely and provide a refreshing drink after every bite. Lagunitas IPA has an ABV of 6.2%.
Prop Bet of the Week: Michigan team total over 19.5 at -120
Saturday night is a huge game. There's no two ways about it. Big-time players make big-time plays in big moments. Bryce Underwood showed that he has all the tools needed to be a big-time college football player in week one. Brent Venables is going to throw everything at him this week, but I trust in Bryce, Chip Lindsey, and the rest of the offense to handle it in stride. John Mateer is going to try to air it out against this Michigan defense. I am expecting the Michigan defensive line to have a huge impact on his ability to do so. Pressure up the middle, paired with a healthy dose of Derrick Moore and TJ Guy on the outside, will force Mateer into at least one turnover. Lastly, this game sets up for one of those classic well well-executed trick plays from the Michigan offense that they have done such a great job of running over the last few years. I love Michigan over the 19.5 vs the Sooners.