Poor Man's Burnt Ends - Video Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is the best cut for poor mans burnt ends? ›

Chuck Roast Burnt Ends

I've also found that chuck roasts have a natural beefy flavor very similar to brisket, so the cut works amazing for making this burnt ends recipe! For this recipe, I'm using a 3-pound chuck roast instead of a full-packer brisket to make a version called “Poor Man's Burnt Ends.”

Both cuts of meat can be tough when not given enough time to properly cook them. However, smoking them low and slow, and finishing with a nice bbq glaze can produce amazing results.

Made from either brisket meat or pork belly meat, burnt ends contain approximately 50% fat content. However, burnt ends are not just crispy, juicy nuggets of fat. Burnt ends are made from the point cut of a brisket, which comes from the brisket primal (aka the pectoralis minor muscle).

Brisket burnt ends are made by smoking the point of a brisket, wrapping it in peach butcher paper, cutting the smoked brisket into cubes, then cooking the cubed meat in sauce and brown sugar. This results in a delicious almost candy-like cube of meat.

The caramelization process and rendering of the fat in the brisket is what helps develop that deep sweetness and rich flavor. The extended time in the smoker gives the bark its signature taste. As the name implies, the meat is somewhat burnt and crispy, which is why the addition of a sauce or liquid is always welcome.

You're going to have to be cooking low and slow to build an awesome bark on your brisket, ribs or pork shoulder. Cooking at high temperatures is going to really make it hard, if not impossible to build a good layer of bark. Keep your grill around 225-degrees or lower for best results.

Poor Man's Burnt Ends are burnt ends made from chuck roast instead of brisket like traditional burnt ends. They are called poor man's burnt ends because of the price of a chuck roast.

Coating the ends in the sauce helps the pieces to form a nice bark on the outside. Let the burnt ends cook for another 2.5 hours, until they are tender. You should be able to tear them apart with little effort. Then, remove them from the smoker and place them on a serving dish.

When people say "brisket", they are referring to "beef brisket." Beef brisket is a large cut of meat from the breast or the lower chest of a cow. It is one of the nine beef primal cuts and one of the four main barbecue meats. It is a relatively tough piece of meat because the animal works it while moving.

The best side dishes to serve with burnt ends are french fries, cornbread, crispy green beans, southern mash, dirty rice, baked beans, mac and cheese, cauliflower rice, coleslaw, potato salad, grilled corn on the cob, biscuits, pickle spears, hush puppies, collard greens, and corn pudding.

When to remove point for burnt ends? ›

In fact, you want to pull your brisket from the heat when your point reaches 195°F (91°C). That's the ideal temperature to cut it up because if it were much more tender, actually cutting it into cubes could prove difficult!

Place the brisket back onto the smoker at 250-265F so that the loose end of butcher paper is on bottom to prevent it from unraveling. Cook until the meat hits 202-203F internal (about 7-8 more hours). Once it is done, pull the meat off and let it rest at room temperature for at least 2 hour.

Sorry, but burnt ends aren't your friend. Limit HCAs and PAHs in your smoked meats by not consuming meat that has been over-cooked or charred (intentionally or otherwise).

Chuck Roast is a good substitute for brisket which is traditionally used for Burnt Ends. With a similar look, flavor and tenderness chuck roast also has a good amount of marbling. All of these attributes combined are what give these Poor Man's Burnt Ends so much delicious and sticky goodness.

You can make brisket burnt ends in a couple different ways. You can either cook the brisket whole and carve the point cut off to make burnt ends towards the end or butcher the brisket from the outset and smoke the two pieces of brisket meat - the point and the flat - separately. Either way works!

Making the Burnt Ends

At this point in the game, the pork butt is still firm enough to cut into pieces without it falling apart or trying to shred. Remove or cut the bone away from the pork butt then cut the pork butt into cubes that are 1 inch by 1 inch (approximately) and place them in a foil pan.

Best Cuts of Meat for Smoking

Our top choices are brisket, pork shoulder (for pulled pork), pork chops, and ribs. You can also give our St. Louis Ribs a try in your new smoker. Beef brisket, pork shoulder, and ribs are three cuts that offer sufficient fat to keep them juicy and tender when done.

I love mesquite wood for smoke on brisket but I also regularly use oak, cherry, and any number of other types of wood with great results. Use the smoking wood that you have available. Once the smoker is ready, it's time to cook!

Burnt ends are made using the point of the brisket, so your next step will be separating the point from the flat.