Asian Pork Belly Burnt Ends with Star Anise Glaze

Bus
Apr 10
5 min read

Updated: May 2

Pork belly burnt ends are already ridiculous. Rich, smoky, fatty cubes of happiness.

Now we take that and run it through an Asian flavor profile… and things get a little out of hand (in the best way).

Hoisin. Ginger. Sesame. Gochujang. Star anise. This is the kind of dish where people take one bite and just… stop talking. Not because they’re being polite. Because their brain is busy.

So fire up your smoker of choice and make your next Lunar New Year party one to remember.

Ingredients

For the pork belly:

4 to 5 pounds pork belly, skin removed
Sesame oil or gochujang, for binder

For the dry rub:

1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon coarse black pepper
1 tablespoon brown sugar
2 teaspoons garlic powder
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon Chinese five spice
1/2 teaspoon ground star anise

For the star anise glaze:

1/2 cup hoisin sauce
1/4 cup soy sauce
3 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon fresh grated ginger
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon gochujang or sriracha
2 whole star anise pods
Splash of mirin, optional
1/2 teaspoon fish sauce, optional

For finishing:

Toasted sesame seeds
Sliced green onions
Small squeeze of lime
Chili oil, optional but highly recommended

For serving:

Steamed rice
Pickled cucumbers or quick kimchi
Grilled vegetables
Cold beer

Before You Start

You want pork belly with the skin removed. If the skin is still on, take it off or ask your butcher to do it. Pork belly skin can be great in the right dish, but this is not that dish.
Cut the pork belly into cubes about 1.5 inches wide. Don’t go too small. These are burnt ends, not pork belly cereal.
You want enough size for the cubes to smoke, render, braise, and still have some bite when they’re done.
Also, give yourself time. This is not hard, but it is a process. You’re smoking, glazing, braising, and finishing. The good news is that most of the work is just waiting while the smoker does what the smoker was born to do.

Bus Stop BBQ Method

1. Season the Pork Belly

Place the pork belly cubes in a large bowl or on a sheet pan.
Coat them lightly with your binder. Sesame oil gives you a clean, nutty base. Gochujang gives you more spice, color, and attitude.
Use enough to help the rub stick, but don’t drown the pork. This is a binder, not a spa treatment.
In a separate bowl, mix together:
- Kosher salt
- Coarse black pepper
- Brown sugar
- Garlic powder
- Ground ginger
- Smoked paprika
- Chinese five spice
- Ground star anise
Season the pork belly cubes evenly on all sides.
Let them sit for a few hours (or overnight!). This gives the rub time to settle in and keeps you from sprinting around the patio with pork hands.

2. Fire Up the Smoker

Fire up your smoker to 250°F. Apple, cherry, or pecan wood works really well here. Pork belly is rich, so you want smoke that adds flavor without turning the whole thing into a campfire marshmallow experiment gone wrong.
Avoid going too heavy. These are already rich, fatty, sweet, and glazed. You want smoke as part of the band, not the guy doing a 14-minute solo.

3. Smoke the Pork Belly

Place the pork belly cubes directly on the smoker grates, leaving a little space between each piece.
Smoke at 250°F for about 2 to 2.5 hours.
You’re looking for:
- Internal temperature around 175°F to 185°F
- Deep mahogany color
- Bark that looks set, not wet or mushy
- Fat starting to render
Don’t rush this phase. This is where the smoke and bark develop.
If you pull them too early, you’ll still get sticky pork belly, but you’ll miss that BBQ backbone. And we are not here for wobbly, underdeveloped pork cubes. We are here for little meat gems.

4. Make the Star Anise Glaze

While the pork belly is smoking, make the glaze.
In a saucepan, combine:
- Hoisin sauce
- Soy sauce
- Honey
- Brown sugar
- Rice vinegar
- Sesame oil
- Fresh grated ginger
- Minced garlic
- Gochujang or sriracha
- Star anise pods
- Mirin, if using
- Fish sauce, if using
Simmer gently for 5 to 7 minutes.
You don’t need a raging boil. Just let everything come together and give the star anise time to steep into the glaze.
Then remove the star anise pods before using.
Important note: raw star anise can lean medicinal if you overdo it. Cooked into a glaze, it becomes warm, deep, and slightly mysterious. Like it knows a secret but refuses to be weird about it.

5. Braise the Pork Belly

Once the pork belly has good color and the bark is set, transfer the cubes to a foil pan.
Pour the warm glaze over the pork belly and toss gently to coat everything.
Cover the pan tightly with foil and place it back in the smoker at 250°F.
Cook for another 1 to 1.5 hours.
You’re looking for probe tender. That means when you poke a cube with a thermometer or skewer, it should slide in with almost no resistance.
The technical term is “oh wow.” That’s how you know.

6. Finish Sticky

Remove the foil from the pan.
Increase the smoker temperature to 275°F to 300°F and let the glaze reduce for 20 to 30 minutes.
This is where things get glossy, sticky, and dangerously snackable.
Stir gently once or twice so the glaze coats everything evenly, but don’t beat them up. They’ve been through enough.
Optional move: for extra bark and crispy edges, move the cubes back onto the smoker grate for the last 5 to 10 minutes.
This gives you:
- Sticky glaze
- Crispy edges
- Better texture
- That “I should have made more” feeling

7. Garnish and Serve

Don’t skip the finish. This dish is rich, and the toppings help balance it.
Top with:
- Toasted sesame seeds
- Sliced green onions
- A small squeeze of lime
- Chili oil, if you want heat
Why it matters:
- Sesame adds crunch
- Green onion adds freshness
- Lime cuts the fat
- Chili oil brings a slow burn finish
Serve hot with rice, pickled cucumbers, quick kimchi, grilled vegetables, or whatever keeps you from eating the entire tray standing up. Though honestly, that may still happen.

Pro Tips

Don’t rush the first smoke. Bark matters.
If the glaze looks thin, keep cooking uncovered.
If it tastes too sweet, add a splash more rice vinegar at the end.
If you want more heat, finish with chili oil instead of adding more gochujang.
Make more than you think you need. These disappear fast.
Remove the star anise pods before glazing the pork. Nobody wants to bite into a spice throwing star.

Why This Works

Pork belly burnt ends work because pork belly has enough fat to handle a long smoke and still stay juicy.

The first phase builds smoke and bark. The braise makes everything tender. The final uncovered phase tightens the glaze and turns the whole thing sticky.

The Asian-inspired flavor profile works because it hits every major note:

Hoisin brings sweetness and body
Soy sauce brings salt and umami
Rice vinegar brings acidity
Ginger and garlic bring bite
Gochujang or sriracha brings heat
Sesame oil brings richness
Star anise brings warmth and depth

The result is BBQ that still feels like BBQ, but with a completely different flavor map.

Classic burnt ends are great. These are what happens when they find a passport.

Final Take

This is not a “make once and move on” recipe. This is a “text your friends immediately” recipe. A “stand by the smoker eating pieces early” recipe. A “why didn’t I make more?” recipe.

If Bus Stop BBQ has a mission, it’s this: take something classic, turn one knob too far, and see what happens. In this case, it works. Really, really well.

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