Burnt ends, or as I like to call them ‘Meat Candy‘ are the near perfect little snack food that was first created in good old Kansas City.
For some reason they never really made a huge impact outside of Kansas City, however, I am on a mission to change that.
Every time I smoke a brisket I feel as though it is my duty to treat my guests to burnt ends.
I hope you enjoy these burnt ends as much as I do!
” Burnt ends are like popcorn, only , juicy, smokey and a little crispy.” – One of my kids!
What Are Burnt Ends? (A Game Changer Thats What!)
The burnt ends usually come from the marbled point of a whole brisket. They are smoked slowly until they’re tender to the touch and covered in deliiiiish BBQ sauce.
You have two option when its making burnt ends. If your smoking a brisket you can use the ends of it. However if time/ money doesnt permit you to smoke a whole brisket, you can use chuck steak. It gives an amazing flavour on a budget and its much quicker!
The Cut Matters! When picking your meat look for a piece with small white flecks of fat in the muscle not huge chunks. Always Cook to Internal Temperature! Every cut of meat is different and will finish at a different time. This means you will need a meat thermometer to monitor internal temperature. I have put together the best meat thermometers here you, so you can pick up the best at a good price!
How to Make Burnt Ends
Smoked Burnt Ends Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 Smoked brisket
- BBQ or hot sauce
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Once you have your smoked brisket and you have let it rest, you need to cut the point off, make sure you do this against the grain.
- Place your squares into a foil pan and generously coat with your favorite BBQ sauce. I like to use a slightly spicy homemade smokey BBQ sauce that has a little bit of a spicy kick.
- Place the foil pan back into the smoker at around 275°F for a further 1.5 – 2.5 hours until the cubes have become nice and charred. You are looking for the end to be nice and burnt.
- As much as you want to eat the burnt ends fresh off the smoker, you do need to let them rest for a good 10 – 15 minutes. Lightly salt and cover with foil. This will allow the burnt ends to really crispen up and become more delicious.
- Serve with lashings of BBQ or hot sauce.
Final Thoughts
There we go, they are as simple as that. You are going to be popular with these ones, I guarantee.
Meat candy truly is the perfect accompaniment to the big game, a good beer, and good friends (or by themselves out of the refrigerator)
I love mine with lashings of homemade bbq and hot sauce.
Do you have a burnt ends recipe?
Happy Smoking
Charlie
