Low and Slow Peppery Burnt Ends

Russell Bird

Burnt ends might be my favorite single bite of food in this whole world. Burnt ends are not burnt and they are also not the ends of anything, so it’s a funny name if you ask me. Burnt ends are made from the point of the brisket and they are little moist tender cubes of amazingness. Sometimes referred to as “Beef Dice” because of their shape, anytime you are eating them you should feel lucky because they take a long time to prepare right and if they are done right, they are buttery and amazing.

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Prep Time 45

Cook Time 9

Course Appetizer, Main Course

Cuisine Beef

Servings 4 people

Equipment

Butcher Paper
Fireboard 2.0 Thermometer
Hickory Wood Pellets
Foil Trays
BBQ Tongs
BBQ Gloves
Louisiana Grills Black Label 1000
Yonedas Okami Chef Knife
You Need a BBQ Cutting Board
Sturdy Roll of Tin Foil
BBQ Injector

Ingredients

1 each Brisket Point, Surface Fat Removed
¼ cup Big Poppa Smokers Little Louie’s Garlic Salt
¼ cup Boar's Night Out White Lightning
¼ cup Butter
1 bottle Yonedas Smoked Hickory BBQ Sauce

Instructions

Preparation

Preheat the Smoker to 235 degrees.
If there is any fat left on the surface of the point, then the first step is to take it off. Make sure to remove any silver skin as well. Rub the surface of the meat down with a heavy coverage of the white lightning and then the Little Louie’s seasoning salt with black pepper. Let the meat sit out at room temperature for 20-30 minutes to allow the seasoning to set and penetrate the meat.

Throw the Point on the Smoker

Place the point on the smoker at 235 degrees. Put a temperature probe into the thickest part of the meat and let it cook until it reaches an internal temperature of 170 degrees.

Wrapping the Point

Once you reach an internal temperature of 170 degrees you want to take the burnt ends off the smoker and wrap them in butcher paper. Make sure the paper is wrapped tightly around and then place the point, back on the smoker until you reach an internal temperature of 205 degrees. It is at this moment that you want to start checking for tenderness. Take a probe and insert it into the meat, if it has some resistance, then re-wrap the meat and put it back onto the smoker for 30 minutes, repeat, as necessary. If the probe goes in like butter, then the burnt ends are done and ready to be cubed.

Cubing the Burnt Ends

I like my burnt ends to be about ¾ inch cubes. So, run your knife one way across the whole point and then rotate and go the other way. If you have any burnt ends that are thicker than ¾ inch, then you can cut them in half one more time so make them equal in shape in all directions. Once this is done you want to toss the burnt ends into a foil tray with the You Need a BBQ Smoked hickory sauce and butter, toss it all around to coat evenly and then place it back onto the smoker covered in foil for 1 more hour.

Step By Step

Preheat the smoker to 235 degrees
Remove all surface fat from the point
Season the point all over with White Lightning and Little Louie’s
Place the point on the smoker at 235F until internal of 170F
Wrap the point in butcher paper
Place back on the smoker until tender, start checking when internal reaches 205 F
Once tender, cube and toss in butter and sauce, place back on smoker for 1 hour covered in foil

Notes

What are poor man’s burnt ends?

Poor mans burnt ends are burnt ends made from anything that is not brisket point. I have seen poor mans burnt ends made from Chuck roast, brisket flat, pork belly and even hot dogs. Basically, you just follow the same method as above, but instead of point you use a cheaper cut of meat and you end up with a very similar flavor and texture, but in my opinion, nothing beats the real thing.

What is the best size for a burnt end cube?

I like my burnt ends to be quite small, so around ¾” cubes. That means they measure ¾ inches in height width and depth. I have seen competition burnt ends up to 1.5” in size, but at that size you have to make sure they are very tender because that in my opinion is more than 1 bite, so you wouldn’t want someone to struggle to bite through it. I like the smaller size because you get more surface area for flavor and crust to develop.

What if I am Gluten Free?

All of the seasonings and sauces in this recipe are gluten free. So this recipe is safe, so long as you make no substitutions and do not cross contaminate through the cooking process. We are proud to say that this recipe may be one of the best things your celiac or gluten intolerant friends have ever eaten.

Are burnt ends just fat?

No, burnt ends are made from the point end of the brisket. This is basically the chest/armpit of the cow on the front section. This piece of meat has a lot of intramuscular fat, so the cooking process on burnt ends is designed to render out as much of that fat as possible while also tenderizing what is usually a very tough muscle. While these little meat morsels do have a high fat content, the longer you cook them, the more fat is rendered out.

Do you wrap burnt ends?

Yes, not only do I wrap my burnt ends, I actually wrap them twice. I wrap them the first time when they reach 170 degrees F internal temperature. Then I cube the burnt ends when they are tender and wrap them again, this time in a foil tray with sauce and butter for about 1 hour to allow the last little bit of fat to render out as well as set and caramelize the sauce and butter.

When should I slice my burnt ends into cubes?

I like to slice my burnt ends after they are tender, however they are a little easier to slice if you don’t have a really sharp slicing knife a little earlier in the cooking process. Both times are correct, but the benefit of tenderizing them before slicing is that you are less likely to dry them out. If you do decide to slice them before they are done, I recommend adding some beef broth to the foil tray so that you keep them nice and moist and tender before saucing at the end.

Keyword Sweet

Low and Slow Peppery Burnt Ends