Spam Burnt Ends

Looking for a simple and budget-friendly way to make delicious burnt ends? Transform canned spam into delicious burnt ends with this budget-friendly and simple recipe. Perfect for a quick and tasty meal option or party appetizer. 

Want to save this recipe? Enter your email below and we'll send the recipe straight to your inbox!

Email *

Save This Recipe

Burnt ends are kind of a hit around here. Why wouldn’t they be? With a crispy yet tender texture and incredible flavor, there’s so much to love about these tasty bites. Pork belly burnt ends are classic that never gets old, and we love pork butt burnt ends too.

But once we tried our hand at poor man’s burnt ends, we knew we wanted to experiment with even more affordable way to make this amazing smoked snack. So we made the most amazing hot dog burnt ends and now we’ve made the ultra-creative SPAM burnt ends! Yes, it really is possible to turn a can of this crazy affordable meat into an entirely different tasty creation! You’re gonna love it.

Why You’ll Love Spam Burnt Ends

• These are a wonderful game-day appetizer and party treat. You can make an extra large batch so there are more than enough serving portions to go around.
• You only need five simple ingredients to make this smoked spam recipe. It’s one of those perfect recipes to keep the ingredients on hand so that you can make them whenever needed.
• If you have 15 minutes, then you can make these burnt ends. Just prep them, toss ’em in the smoker and let it do the work for you!

Ingredients for Smoked Spam Burnt Ends

• Low sodium SPAM – Trust us on this, you’ll want the low sodium spam. The regular stuff will just be far too salty and the sweet flavors of the rub and honey won’t cut through enough. Low sodium allows for the flavors to meld together much better.
• Sweet and smoky rub – Grab our delicious Gimme Some Grillin’ Sweet and Smoky Rub or make some of your own homemade sweet and smoky rub. You can use your favorite BBQ rub from the grocery store too!
• Honey – The sticky sweet flavor of honey helps caramelize the SPAM and make the most perfect burnt ends. You could also use maple syrup!
• BBQ sauce – Use a bottle of your favorite store-bought barbecue sauce or make a homemade sauce. For a more sweet flavor, our sweet and sassy BBQ sauce would be great!
• Brown sugar – Brown sugar will help make a nice crust and caramelization on the spam burnt ends. You can use light brown sugar or dark brown sugar.

How to Make Spam Burnt Ends

Preheat your smoker to 250 degrees Fahrenheit and then open the four cans of SPAM. Cut the spam into 1 inch cubes!

Place the chopped spam into a foil pan and then sprinkle in the dry rub and toss until all the cubes are coated evenly. Then place the cubes on a wire rack in an even layer so that they are not touching.

Place the wire rack into the preheated smoker for 1 hour, or until the outside of the spam starts to darken and crisp up around the edges.

While the SPAM pieces smoke, mix together the sauce ingredients.

Then, when the spam begins to darken take it off of the smoker and put it back into the foil pan. Add the sauce and toss gently until combined.

Place the pan back into the smoker and smoke for another hour until the glaze thickens. Then serve and enjoy!

How to Store Smoked Spam Burnt ends

Place leftovers into an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. I do not recommend freezing any leftovers.

How to Reheat Leftovers

To reheat, place them into the oven until warmed through. If you need some more sauce, just whip up a little extra, pour it over the burnt ends and reheat.

What to Serve with Spam Burnt Ends

For game day appetizer time, serve these with little toothpicks poked in them so that your guest can easily grab what they need! You can put a little cup of toothpicks next to the plate of burnt ends too.

These go great with simple appetizers like chips, crackers and dip to other bite sized favorites like Blackstone cheese curds. They’re also perfect with smoked potato skins or unique favorites such as smoked taco pretzel bites.

Does Spam need to be cooked to a certain temperature?

Spam is already fully cooked, so there is not a specific temperature that it needs to reach in order to consume. This makes it great to cook with indirect heat of the smoker!

What is the best meat for burnt ends?

Burnt ends are most often made with brisket or chuck roast, but you can make them with almost any type of meat. That is proven with this amazing spam burnt ends recipe! You can also use things like hot dogs, pork belly and pork butt to make the savory bite sized flavor bombs.

The most fun twist on poor man’s burnt ends! Talk about an affordable dish to make!

More Smoker Recipes You’ll Love!

• Smoked Steak is just as good, if not better, than any steakhouse you’ve ever had!
• These Smoked Pretzels are a tasty snack and fabulous appetizer. Plus, they’re crazy easy to make.
• Make Smoked Hot Dogs for your next backyard BBQ or celebration!
• Smoked Apples are the delicious fall dessert you didn’t know you needed.

Shop Our Spices

Shop Now!

Did you make this? If you snap a photo, please be sure tag me on Instagram at @gimmesomegrilling or #gimmesomegrilling so I can see your grilling masterpieces!

Spam Burnt Ends

Transform a can of spam into delicious burnt ends with this simple and affordable recipe. Perfect for a quick and tasty meal or snack! 

Prep:15 minutes mins

Cook:2 hours hrs

Total:2 hours hrs 15 minutes mins

Print Recipe Rate Recipe

• Pin

Save RecipeSaved!

Want to save this recipe? Enter your email below and we’ll send the recipe straight to your inbox!

Email *

Save This Recipe

12

Ingredients

• ▢ 4 cans low sodium spam (12 ounces each)
• ▢ ¼ cup Sweet and Smoky rub

Sauce

• ▢ 2 cups BBQ sauce
• ▢ 3 Tablespoons honey
• ▢ 3 Tablespoons brown sugar

Instructions

• Preheat the smoker to 250 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Cut the spam into 1 inch cubes.
• Place the cubes into a foil pan, add the dry rub and toss until all the pieces are coated in rub.
• Place spam cubes on a wire rack so they are not touching.
• Place the wire rack with Spam on it in the preheated smoker for 1 hour or until they start to get darkened or crisp around the edges.
• While the spam is smoking, mix the sauce ingredients together in a small bowl.
• Once spam is starting to darken, take the spam off the smoker and put back in the foil pan. Add the sauce mixture to the pan and gently mix until everything is combined.
• Put the pan with the Spam back on the smoker and smoke for another hour or until the sauce has thickened to your preference.

Tips

Place leftovers into an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. I do not recommend freezing any leftovers.

To reheat, place them into the oven until warmed through. If you need some more sauce, just whip up a little extra, pour it over the burnt ends and reheat.

Nutrition Information

Calories: 471kcal (24%), Carbohydrates: 33g (11%), Protein: 16g (32%), Fat: 31g (48%), Saturated Fat: 11g (69%), Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g, Monounsaturated Fat: 15g, Cholesterol: 80mg (27%), Sodium: 2090mg (91%), Potassium: 591mg (17%), Fiber: 1g (4%), Sugar: 23g (26%), Vitamin A: 145IU (3%), Vitamin C: 0.5mg (1%), Calcium: 33mg (3%), Iron: 2mg (11%)

© Gimme Some Grilling ®

We are not dietitians and recommend you seek a nutritionist for exact nutritional information. The information in the nutrition box is calculated through a program and there is room for error. If you need an accurate count, I recommend running the ingredients through your favorite nutrition calculator.