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!
Table of contents
What Are Burnt Ends? (A Game Changer Thats What!)
The burnt ends usually come from the marbled point of a whole brisket. You can find my recipe for a 4 lb brisket in electric smoker if you need one. The ‘ends’ 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
