This recipe for burnt ends is tender cubes of brisket coated in BBQ sauce, then cooked until caramelized. The most delicious way to enjoy brisket, burnt ends are the perfect main course or appetizer option!
Brisket burnt ends are a favorite of Kansas City pitmasters and are one of of the most delectable items to come out of a home smoker. Serve your burnt ends with toothpicks and a side of sauce for dipping as a party snack, or add side dishes such as dill potato salad, slow cooker mac and cheese and grilled asparagus for a complete meal.
Burnt ends are the perfect combination of tender and juicy meat with crispy edges and a smoky flavor. This recipe takes some time to make, as the meat needs to smoke for hours to become melt-in-your-mouth tender, but it’s completely worth the wait!
This recipe is one of my favorite ways to enjoy brisket along with slow cooker brisket, Instant Pot brisket and smoked brisket.
Burnt Ends Ingredients
When you make burnt ends the ingredients are simple. You will need beef brisket, BBQ rub and BBQ sauce. For the best flavor, I use my BBQ rub recipe which is my signature mix of brown sugar, spices and seasonings. It is full of flavor with smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder and cayenne pepper. You should also try my fantastic homemade BBQ sauce.
How Do You Make Burnt Ends?
To make burnt ends, first prepare the brisket by trimming excess fat. Coat the brisket in barbecue rub and refrigerate it for up to 12 hours. Remove the meat from the refrigerator and place it fat side down in a foil pan in a smoker set to 250 degrees F. Smoke the brisket until it reaches 170 degrees F. Remove the brisket and wrap it in peach butcher paper or foil. Smoke it until it reaches 190 degrees F. Remove the meat from the smoker and let it rest a few minutes. Set it on a cutting board and chop it with a sharp knife into cubes. Coat the meat cubes with a mixture of barbecue sauce and pan drippings and smoke them for an additional 45 minutes. Remove the meat from the smoker and enjoy the tender, saucy, sticky and flavorful beef bites.
Tips For The Perfect Burnt Ends
- Cook the brisket in an aluminum pan to retain the drippings for the sauce.
- Use peach butcher paper to wrap the brisket. Aluminum foil will work, but the best brisket is smoked with peach butcher paper. Wrapping the brisket in peach butcher paper allows the beef to hold in its juices while allowing the smoking process to continue resulting in a thicker, more flavorful bark.
- Use an electric smoker for easy temperature control.
- Start smoking early, the whole process for making burnt ends may take as long as 12-13 hours.
- Make sure you have a sharp knife to cut your brisket. You want nice even cubes of meat when they go back into the smoker.
- I use hickory wood for a flavorful smoke with savory, bacon-like notes. Oak wood is also a good choice.
- Try these burnt ends with a side of my honey cornbread for a delicious meal!
Quick Tip
Make sure you use a meat thermometer. It is better to have a wireless digital meat thermometer so you can monitor the temperature without opening the smoker.
Recipe FAQs
Burnt ends are typically made from the point cut of a beef brisket. There are two cuts that are part of a brisket, the point and the flat. The brisket point is a rounder more tender piece of meat. The flat is a leaner cut that is a more uniform shape. There is also an option for the whole brisket known as the packer cut or Texas brisket. It has both the flat and the point sections of the brisket attached to each other.
Trim the brisket so that fat layer is translucent over the meat. You want the fat to be somewhere between 1/3 of an inch to 1/4 of an inch. Make sure you trim the fat cap, especially if you are working with a point cut or a packer cut. Do your best, it doesn’t have to be exact.
Yes, burnt ends are worth it. If made well, they are one of the most tender and flavorful ways to enjoy smoked beef.
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Burnt Ends Flavor Variations
- Meat: While I like to use the point cut, or deckle, of a brisket, if you want a less expensive alternative you can use chuck roast. People call this “poor man’s burnt ends.”
- Spicy: For spicier meat, mix a tablespoon of hot sauce with the BBQ sauce and drippings when you coat the meat cubes in sauce.
- Teriyaki: For more of a Japanese style flavor, try mixing two tablespoons of teriyaki sauce with the drippings and barbecue sauce.
- Sandwich: Get a roll and pile it high with burnt ends. Top your sandwich with your favorite fixings like dill pickle slices, pickled jalapeno pepper slices or pickled red onions.
These burnt ends are the absolute best thing to come out of a home smoker. They have a succulent and tender texture. They’re juicy, saucy and just packed with smoky flavor.
More Fabulous Smoker Recipes
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4 hrs 10 mins
Smoked Chicken Wings
2 hrs 10 mins
Smoked Turkey Recipe
6 hrs 10 mins
Smoked Pork Chops
1 hr 10 mins
Smoked Chicken Thighs
3 hrs 10 mins
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Burnt Ends
Ingredients
Instructions
- Trim the excess fat off the brisket. You want to remove most of the fat cap if you have a point or packer cut. Other excess fat should be removed to 1/3 or 1/4 inch until you can see the beef through the fat.
- Completely cover the brisket in BBQ rub.
- Cover the meat and refrigerate it for 10-12 hours.
- Preheat the smoker to 250 degrees F.
- Insert a meat thermometer (into the meat, not fat) and place the meat in the smoker until the internal temperature reaches 170 degrees F. This may take 4-5 hours.
- Once the meat reaches 170 degrees F, remove the meat and wrap it in foil or peach butcher paper. Place the meat back in the smoker until it reaches 190 degrees F. This make take up to 8 hours.
- Remove the meat from the smoker, take the meat out of the wrapping and let it rest for 15 minutes.
- Cut up the meat into 1/2 inch cubes.
- Coat the cubes of meat with a mixture of 1/2 cup BBQ sauce and all of the pan drippings. It should be enough to completely coat the burnt ends. Use more BBQ sauce if needed.
- Place the cubes uncovered into the smoker and cook for 45 minutes. Leave the temperature at 250 degrees F or bump up the temperature to 275 degrees F for a darker coating.
- Remove the burnt ends from the smoker and serve.
Notes
- Cook the brisket in an aluminum pan to retain the drippings for the sauce.
- Use peach butcher paper to wrap the brisket.
- Use an electric smoker for easy temperature control.
- Start smoking early, the whole process for making burnt ends may take as long as 12-13 hours.
- Make sure you use a meat thermometer. It is better to have a wireless digital meat thermometer so you can monitor the temperature without opening the smoker.
Definitely my new favorite way to eat brisket, I could not stop eating this.
This is incredibly delicious! We had so much fun! A crowd-pleaser!
We love these!!! That BBQ flavor is so good & the brisket is still tender & juicy!!