Recipe and photo credit: Chef Chris Sussman

Smoked Pork Belly Burnt Ends with Bourbon Glaze

This dish is pork’s answer to Brisket Burnt ends which is a BBQ staple. Instead of using a cubed brisket point, this recipe calls for cubed skinless pork belly. After making this dish and serving it to your guests, you will know why it is nicknamed “pork candy”!

Feeds: 6-8 people

Ingredients:

10 pounds pork belly (skinned & cubed)
1 Tbs Yellow mustard
½ cup brown sugar
1 Tbsp honey
1 stick of butter, cut into pats

Dry Rub:

2 Tbs Kosher Salt
2 Tbs Black Pepper
2 Tbs Paprika
2 Tbs Brown Sugar

Bourbon BBQ Sauce:

1 Tbs olive oil
1 cup onion
3 cloves of garlic
3/4 cup Uncle Nearest 1856 Premium Aged Whiskey
2T cider vinegar
1T Worcestershire
1T tomato paste
1 tsp mustard
¼ tsp cayenne
1/3 c brown sugar
2 cups ketchup
Salt & pepper

Directions:

• Set your Big Green Egg to 250°F using 3 chunks of apple smoking wood. Cube the pork belly into 1″ pieces and cover with a base of yellow mustard. Season with the dry rub mixture. Let sit at room temperature while your Big Green Egg comes up to temp.
• Once the Big Green Egg is ready, place your pork belly inside on a wire baking rack and let cook for 1.5 hours before checking. While the pork is smoking it is time to make your Bourbon BBQ sauce.
• To make the sauce place a pan on the stove over medium heat. Sauté the onion in olive oil for 1 to 2 minutes until soft then add the garlic and sauté for another 1 to 2 minutes until fragrant. Next, add the remaining ingredients and bring to a low boil. Reduce heat to low then use a hand blender to mix to a fine sauce. Simmer the sauce for 30 minutes until the ingredients are well combined and the sauce has thickened. Keep warm and set aside.
• At the 1.5-hour mark, check the pork belly cubes for internal temperature. When the internal temp measures 190°F it is time to pull the pork belly cubes, place them in a half aluminum pan, sprinkle with ½ cup of brown sugar and a big squirt of honey. Slice up 1 stick of butter and add pieces in and around the pan. Cover with foil and put back in the smoker for another 60 to 90 minutes (until the pork is tender).
• When the smokey pork cubes are tender, remove the foil cover, pour out the additional liquid from the aluminum pan, and add in the bourbon BBQ sauce. Carefully mix the sauce with cubed pork making sure each piece is covered with the sauce. Place the tray of sauced porky goodness back into the Big Green Egg to set the glaze. This should take 10 minutes or less.
• When ready, pull the pan of pork belly off the Big Green Egg, pour the sauced pork belly in a serving bowl, and enjoy!

Photo credit: Kathryn McCrary, Recipe credit: Chef David Rose

Bourbon-Ginger Pecan Pie

Feeds: 8 People

1 cup pecan wood chips, soaked for 1 hour in 2 cups of water

Filling Ingredients:

1 cup dark corn syrup
1 tablespoon molasses
4 large eggs, beaten
2 tablespoons butter, melted
Seeds from 1 vanilla bean
2 tablespoons Uncle Nearest 1856 Premium Whiskey
1 tablespoon Domaine de Canton ginger liqueur
¾ cup granulated sugar
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
1 (9-inch) unbaked or frozen deep-dish pie crust
1 ½ cups coarsely chopped roasted pecans

Egg Wash Ingredients:

1 medium egg
1 teaspoon water

Fresh Whipped cream or vanilla ice cream, for serving

Directions:

• Prepare the EGG to cook indirectly with a drip pan at 375°F. Drain the wood chips and place them in the EGG over the hot coals. In a medium bowl, add the corn syrup, molasses, eggs, butter, vanilla seeds, bourbon, ginger liqueur, sugar, and salt and whisk until fully incorporated.

• If frozen, thaw the pie crust for 10 minutes. Then spread the pecans evenly over the bottom of the pie crust. Carefully pour the liquid mixture over the pecans.

• In a small bowl, whisk together the egg and water. Brush the pie crust edges with the egg wash.

• Bake the pie in the EGG for 35 to 40 minutes, until the sides puff up and the center barely jiggles. Remove from the EGG and let cool for 2 to 3 hours. Serve with whipped cream or ice cream.