What Are Burnt Ends and Why Are They So Darn Delicious? (2024)

FAQs

Why are burnt ends so good? ›

Burnt ends taste like rich, smoked beef caramelized in the sweet molasses beauty of Kansas City barbecue sauce. Despite their name and charred appearance, burnt ends don't taste burnt. The spices on the meat harden when smoked, creating a flavorsome layer of barbeque bark that has a similar consistency to jerky.

The first thing the sandwich maker would do when a fresh brisket was brought to the counter was trim off the ends. The ends of a brisket are thinner than the middle part, and therefore cook faster, and after long hours in the smoker, the ends get, well, burnt.

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).

What are burnt ends? Brisket burnt ends are made from the deckle (or point) cut of the brisket. They originated in Kansas City sometime in the 1970s, when barbecue restaurants made sliced brisket sandwiches. The brisket point was crispy, fatty, well-charred, and did not slice very well for a sandwich.

No longer the burned edge of the brisket, the Kansas City burnt end evolved into a succulent and tender cube of fatty meat with a crisp bark. The cubes were coated with more barbecue sauce and then smoked a little longer to complete the caramelization process and earn its nickname “meat candy.”

Since the burnt ends are considered "gold," properly store any leftovers so you can enjoy them again. If you plan on eating them soon, wrap well and put in the refrigerator where they will keep for three to five days.

Poor Man's Burnt Ends are bite sized pieces of tender beef, caramelized in a sweet and sticky honey BBQ sauce. This beloved BBQ classic is prepared with chuck roast instead of a traditional brisket which makes it a nice budget friendly meal option!

Unlike many other barbecue items, burnt ends have a distinct birthplace, origin story, and an African American connection. It all began at Arthur Bryant's Barbeque, a legendary African American restaurant in Kansas City, Missouri, which Bryant ran from 1946 until he died in 1982.

Make sure your smoker is at a low temperature for smoking the burnt ends. Too high of a temperature can result in tough, chewy pieces of meat.

The grilling and smoking processes that give meats that charred appearance and smoky flavor generate some potentially cancer-causing compounds in the food. Charred, blackened areas of the meat – particularly well-done cuts - contain heterocyclic aromatic amines.

Why does smoked food make me sick? ›

Smoked meats can be high in phosphorus and potassium, which can severely impact those with kidney disease. Finally, the potential carcinogenic compounds formed during the smoking process can cause complications for individuals with a history of cancer or those at high risk of developing cancer.

When food is burned, carcinogens can form. “A carcinogen is something that promotes the formation and growth of cancer,” says Brisas Truncali, MD, a gastroenterologist who practices at the Hartford HealthCare Digestive Health Institute in Bloomfield.

When you are craving burnt ends but don't want to break the bank or make a smaller portion, using a chuck roast gives you a great flavor on a budget. 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!

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.

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!

Known for one of the most tender bites in barbecue when they are made properly. The poor man's burnt ends are similar to brisket, because of the fat-marbling throughout the cut of beef, and when smoked low and slow they can become super tender.

Burnt ends originated right here in Kansas City in the 1970s and we think they were perfected by Joe's KC BBQ.

Things changed dramatically for burnt ends when national food writer Calvin Trillin wrote rhapsodically about them in the 1970s. Trillin, a Kansas City native, declared that Arthur Bryant's was “the best restaurant in the world.” Business boomed and the burnt ends went from being a freebie to a hot commodity.

A traditional part of Kansas City-style barbecue, burnt ends are considered a delicacy in barbecue cooking. Either the entire brisket is cooked whole, then the point end is removed and cooked further, or the point and flat are separated prior to cooking.