Here’s how to make insanely good pulled bacon (aka bacon burnt ends or “bacon brisket”) over charcoal. It’s pork belly treated like pork butt or brisket—low, slow, smoked, and pulled into smoky, fatty, crispy-edged heaven.
What You Need
- 5–10 lb skin-on or skinless pork belly (skin-on gives better bark)
- Basic rub (50/50 kosher salt + coarse black pepper, or your favorite BBQ rub)
- Optional: brown sugar, paprika, garlic powder, cayenne for a sweeter/spicier version
- Spray bottle with apple juice, apple cider vinegar, or just water
- Heavy-duty aluminum foil or butcher paper
- Wood chunks: hickory, apple, cherry, or pecan (hickory + cherry is killer with pork belly)
Equipment
- Charcoal grill or offset smoker (Weber kettle, SNS, offset, etc.)
- Good charcoal (lump or briquettes)
- Chimney starter + heat-resistant gloves
Step-by-Step Method (Low & Slow on Charcoal)
- Prep the Belly
- Trim excess fat if it’s ridiculously thick, but leave at least ½ inch.
- If skin-on: score the skin in a crosshatch (helps render and crisp later) or remove it entirely (easier pulling).
- Coat generously with rub on all sides. Let it sweat 30–60 min (or overnight in fridge for better bark).
- Fire Setup (250–275 °F)
- Two-zone fire: bank all coals on one side.
- For kettle: use Slow ’N Sear or snake/fuse method (2×2 briquettes around the perimeter + a few wood chunks).
- Place a water pan on the cool side to stabilize temp and add moisture.
- Get clean blue smoke before meat goes on.
- Smoke Phase (Unwrapped)
- Put belly fat-cap up on the cool side.
- Smoke 3–5 hours until you have a dark mahogany bark and internal temp hits ~165–175 °F.
- Spritz every 45–60 min after the first 2 hours if it looks dry.
- Wrap Phase (Texas Crutch)
- When bark is set, wrap tightly in butcher paper or foil.
- Add a few pats of butter and a sprinkle of brown sugar/honey inside the wrap if you want candy-like pieces.
- Back on the smoker, keep cooking until probe tender—usually 195–205 °F internal (another 2–4 hours). Total cook time ~7–10 hours depending on thickness.
- Rest
- Rest wrapped in a cooler (towel-lined) 1–2 hours. This is critical—makes it juicy.
- Pull or Cube Option A (Traditional pulled): Unwrap and pull/shred with forks or bear claws. The crispy bark pieces mixed in are incredible. Option B (Bacon Burnt Ends style): Cube into 1–1.5 inch pieces, toss in sauce + more rub/sugar, back on the smoker 30–60 min at 275–300 °F until caramelized.
- Sauce (Optional)
- Toss lightly in warmed BBQ sauce mixed with some of the wrap juices, or serve sauce on the side.
Pro Tips
- Skin-on version: After resting, you can crisp the skin separately under a broiler or in hot oil and crumble it on top like pork rinds.
- If the belly is super lean (rare), inject with phosphate or brine it overnight.
- Want crackling pieces? After cubing, throw them in a 400 °F oven or hot grill zone for 10 min at the end.
Serve on buns with slaw, straight out of the pan with pickles and onions, or just eat it with your hands like an animal. It’s stupidly good.
Enjoy the smoke ring of shame when your neighbors smell it and show up uninvited.
