These Poor Man's Burnt Ends are nuggets of meat candy made with chuck roast instead of brisket. The roast is smoked and then cut into cubes that are sauced and smoked again until caramelized.
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Holy moly, y'all! I'm a smoked meat lover and when I tell you these nuggets of smoky meat are TO DIE FOR, I mean it! When I first made them, my husband was out of town. I told him I couldn't stop going back for another bite and eventually, half of them were gone. That was my dinner that day!
While I've never had the brisket burnt ends, these are so good I don't feel I'm missing out. Maybe one day I'll try to smoke a whole brisket. But until then, I can happily say that you're sure to love this version as much as we do!
The simple ingredients
- Chuck roast - this is supposed to be the "poor" part of the poor man's burnt ends. However, pound for pound chuck roast is actually more expensive than brisket. It's just that you rarely can buy a small piece of a brisket (nor would you want to) and instead have to purchase the whole brisket so that's where the "cheaper" comes in.
- Barbeque sauce - use your favorite store-bought BBQ sauce or make it homemade. My orange barbeque sauce is so good I could drink it!
- Butter - butter is added to the cubed smoked meat at the end to create a buttery sauce that makes these so irresistible.
How to make burnt ends
- Step 1: Sprinkle barbeque seasoning all over a 2-3 pound chuck roast.
- Step 2: Place on a smoker set at 250 degrees F for 3 hours, or until the temperature reads between 160-170 F.
- Step 3: Wrap the roast tightly in aluminum foil or butcher's paper.
- Step 4: Place back on the smoker for another hour, or until thermometer registers at least 200-210 F.
- Step 5: Allow to cool for 15-20 minutes and then cut into cubes.
- Step 6: Put cubes in disposable aluminum pan and add butter, bbq sauce, brown sugar, and more bbq seasoning. Smoke for an additional hour or until caramelized.
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Burnt ends frequently asked questions
Usually the typical meat is brisket that's been smoked, but they're also made with pork shoulder (butt), other cuts of beef, and even hot dogs and sausages.
They're cubes of meat (usually chuck roast) that have been smoked, cut into chunks, and caramelized until they look almost "burnt." Chuck roast is typically less expensive than a whole brisket, but can offer the same flavor and texture as burnt ends made with brisket.
The entire roast or brisket is first smoked whole and then cut into cubes, where it's married with barbeque sauce, some butter, and usually some brown sugar before smoking a little longer until caramelized.
How to serve burnt ends
- Cut them into smaller chunks and pile high on a split gluten free brioche bun for a burnt ends sandwich. SO GOOD!!!
- Serve with no fuss grilled corn on the cob and a simple side salad.
- Add toothpicks alongside for the perfect appetizer at a cookout or pool party.
- Serve with sweet gluten free cornbread and easy bow tie Italian pasta salad.
- Serve with gluten free baked macaroni and cheese and gluten free luxembourg salad.
- Add a scoop of basil potato salad and a pile of green beans with dijon cream sauce alongside.
More main dish recipes you'll love
- Filet mignon with madeira cream sauce
- Chili butter flank steak
- Gluten free Texas weiners
- Easy gluten free chicken souvlaki
- Gluten free honey coriander wings (a Disney copycat recipe)
- Amazing grilled lemon butter shrimp
- Best ever gluten free crab cakes
Poor Man's Burnt Ends
Equipment
- disposable aluminum pan
Ingredients
- 1 2-3 lb chuck roast
- 1-2 tablespoon Kinder's All Purpose Meat & Veggie Rub (or your favorite grilling seasoning)
- ¼ cup barbeque sauce (store bought or homemade)
- 4 tbsp (56g) butter, cut into ½-inch slices
- 2 tablespoon brown sugar
Instructions
- Remove chuck roast from refrigerator one hour before smoking.
- Prepare your smoker (or set up your grill for smoking) and preheat it to 250°F. I like to use hickory pellets for this as they compliment beef very well.
- Sprinkle grilling seasoning all over roast, coating all sides. Place roast onto grates of smoker, close the lid, and smoke for roughly 3 hours, checking it halfway through, until it reaches an internal temperature of 160-170°F. The time will depend on the size of your roast. You'll be looking for the fat on the roast to have turned a yellowish color. This is when you know it's ready to be wrapped.
- Remove the roast from the smoker and set it on a large sheet of aluminum foil or butcher paper. Wrap the roast tightly and place it back on the grill grate. Smoke for another hour, or until the temp reaches at least 200°F. The thermometer should easily go through the foil (or paper) and into the roast with no resistance.
- Unwrap the roast and allow it to sit for at least 15 minutes, or up to 30 minutes. This will make it easier to cut into cubes (otherwise it will just fall apart).
- Cut roast into 1-inch cubes and place cubes in a disposable aluminum pan. Add slices of butter, barbeque sauce, brown sugar, and another sprinkling (or two) of the grilling seasoning. Toss everything together and place back on the smoker for an additional hour, uncovered.
- Remove from the smoker, toss again to distribute the sauce, and serve. PERFECTION!!!
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