I’ve smoked SPAM. I’ve grilled SPAM. But I’d never made SPAM burnt ends until now. I can say without hesitation that my life is now complete. No, these aren’t beef brisket burned ends. But believe me, they’re really good. My first bite was an ‘oh, dang!’ moment for me. Heck, yeah, give me some more!
Be Heavy-Handed With The Seasoning
SPAM needs a bit of seasoning. Though it’ll pick up some flavor from the smoke, it’s up to you to add the rest. You want your SPAM burnt ends to be super yummy! I decided to take a sweet heat approach. I used a spicy BBQ rub for the seasoning. And for the sauce I used a sweet tomato-based BBQ sauce. You want a sauce that will caramelize, giving you a bit of a crust to the SPAM. The sweetness of the sauce contrasted perfectly with the spiciness of the rub.
Incredibly Easy.
You really can’t get any easier than SPAM burnt ends. You can try other flavors of SPAM, too. As a note, you might want to change up which seasoning and sauce you use for each different variety.
This is a great way to use extra space on your smoker, too! If you have a fire going, why waste it?
SPAM Burnt Ends
Ingredients
- 12 ounces SPAM classic or low-sodium
- your favorite BBQ seasoning
- your favorite BBQ sauce a sweeter sauce, containing sugar, will caramelize better
Instructions
- Fire up your smoker for smoking 250-300 F. Use whichever wood you prefer. I used a few chunks of hickory.
- Remove the SPAM from the tin and season heaving with the BBQ seasoning. Rub it in good, and get it everywhere. The more, the better, but don't put it on so thick that it cakes.
- Smoke for about 1 hour or until the SPAM gets a bit of a crust on it and has turned a little darker in color.
- Remove from the smoker and cut into 1" cubes. Brush all sides liberally with the sauce. Sprinkle lightly with more of the rub.
- Transfer SPAM cubes to a disposable pan and return to the smoker.
- Smoke another 30 minutes or until the sauce has started to caramelize.
- Serve immediately
Nutrition
Nutritional values are approximate.
