My smoked brisket burnt ends are tender, melt-in-your-mouth bites of pure joy. After one bite, you’ll understand why these delicious bites of slow-smoked beef brisket are referred to as meat candy.
Perfectly seasoned, slow-smoked, and coated in a tangy barbecue sauce, the rich, smokey flavor of my smoked brisket burnt ends creates an explosion of flavor with every bite you take.
If you love burnt ends, make sure to try my Smoked Pork Belly Burnt Ends I promise they will make you squeal in delight! Smoking meats and seafood is easier than you think with an electric smoker.
Traditionally, burnt ends were made from the trimmings of the exterior of a smoked brisket. During the smoking process, the point cut of the brisket develops a rich, smoky bark and crunchy texture. That delicious exterior was trimmed off, cut into cubes, coated with a tangy BBQ sauce, and smoked a little longer to let the cubes caramelize and develop a rich, smoky flavor.
My smoked brisket burnt ends make OMG delicious brisket sandwiches, tacos, and the best Texas-style chili you’ve ever tasted.
I have heard from friends that you can use chuck roast to make a poor man’s burnt ends recipe, but I’ve never tried it.
Ingredients
Let’s start by gathering the ingredients we need to make my smoked brisket burnt ends recipe. In Chef Speak, this is called the “Mise en Place,” which translates to “Everything in its Place.”
Not only does setting up your ingredients ahead of time speed up the cooking process, it also helps ensure you have everything you need to make the dish.
How to Make Brisket Burnt Ends
Follow along with my easy directions to see how to make brisket burnt ends yourself!
- Preheat your smoker to 225 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Load the smoker with a mixture of hickory and apple wood or your favorite woods for smoking brisket.
- Add the kosher salt, black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, sweet paprika, cumin, and sumac to a small bowl.
*For added heat, add cayenne pepper (to taste) to the dry rub. - Thoroughly mix the dry rub seasonings together.
- Use a sharp knife to trim any excess fat layer (fat cap) off the top of the brisket point. For a richer flavor (from the fat), you can leave about a ¼-inch layer of fat on the top of the beef brisket. It’s a personal choice.
- Rub the point with olive oil, then season the brisket point on all sides with the seasoning mixture.
If time permits, let the seasoned brisket marinate in the refrigerator for 2-12 hours before smoking. If you do refrigerate the brisket, let it sit out for 30 minutes before smoking to give it time to come to room temperature. This will help the meat cook more evenly.
If you’re using a whole brisket, I would suggest splitting the brisket point from the flat cut before smoking. You can smoke the whole packer brisket and then split it, but it will be more work and take longer to smoke.
*For the best results, use the point of the brisket to make the burnt ends.
- Place the seasoned brisket point, fat side up, directly on the smoker rack, and smoke until the internal temperature of the meat reaches 165 degrees F.
*Insert an instant-read thermometer into the thickest part of the beef to monitor the internal temperature of the meat. - When the brisket reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees, remove it from the smoker and wrap it in butcher paper or aluminum foil. Place the wrapped meat back in the smoker and continue cooking until an internal temperature of 195-200 degrees has been reached (approx. 3 hours)
- Slice the smoked brisket point into one-inch slices, then cut it into one-inch cubes. Place the cubes into a foil pan, then sprinkle the brisket cubes with brown sugar, and then cover with the barbeque sauce.
- Toss the beef cubes to make sure they are well coated.
- Place a thermometer into one of the beef cubes, place the pan with the seasoned cubes into the smoker, and smoke until they reach an internal temperature of 220 degrees and the burnt ends have absorbed the barbecue sauce and caramelized (1-2 hours). Cooking time can vary.
Remove the pan from the smoker and let the BBQ brisket burnt ends cool for about 15 minutes.
*Most pitmasters recommend using a Kansas City style BBQ sauce, but feel free to use your favorite brand.
You’re going to love my juicy, tender, caramelized smoked brisket burnt ends. Cooked low and slow they’re packed with an intense smoke flavor, and a tangy, sweet barbecue sauce creates a flavor profile you’ll not soon forget.
Store any leftover burnt ends refrigerated in an airtight container for 2-3 days.
Recipe FAQs
Burnt ends are flavorful and succulent pieces of meat, referred to as “meat candy.” They are typically made from pork belly and beef brisket that have been slow-cooked until they develop a dark, caramelized exterior. They are considered a delicacy in the barbecue community, and after one bite, you’ll understand why.
Traditionally, burnt ends were made from the trimmings of the exterior of a smoked brisket. During the smoking process, the point cut of the brisket develops a rich, smoky bark and crunchy texture. That delicious exterior was trimmed off, cut into cubes, coated with a tangy BBQ sauce, and smoked a little longer to let the cubes caramelize and develop a rich, smoky flavor.
Burnt ends are typically made from the point end of a beef brisket. This part is fattier and becomes especially tender and flavorful when cooked slowly.
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Smoked Brisket Burnt Ends
Ingredients
How to smoke brisket
- 6-8 lb brisket point
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 2 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
- 1 teaspoon sumac
Burnt ends
- smoked brisket (approx 4-5 pounds after smoking)
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- ½ cup bbq sauce
Instructions
- Preheat your smoker to 225 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Load the smoker with a mixture of hickory and apple wood, or your favorite woods for smoking brisket.
- Trim any excess fat off the top of the brisket point if needed. The top fat cap should be about ¼ inch thick.
- Add the seasonings to a bowl and mix to combine.
- Rub the point with olive oil, then season the brisket point on all sides with the seasoning mixture.
- If time permits let the seasoned brisket marinate in the refrigerator for 2-12 hours before smoking.If you do refrigerate the brisket, let it sit out for 30 minutes before smoking to give it time to come to room temperature. This will help the meat cook more evenly.
- Place the seasoned brisket point directly on the smoker rack, and smoke until the internal temperature of the meat reaches 165 degrees F. (approximately 6-8 hours).
- When the brisket reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees remove it from the smoker and wrap it in butcher paper or aluminum foil. Place the wrapped meat back in the smoker and continue cooking until an internal temperature of 195-200 degrees has been reached (approx. 3 hours)
- When the smoking process is completed, remove the meat from the smoker and place it on a cutting board, tenting it with aluminum foil. Let it rest for 15 minutes prior to slicing. This gives the juices time to redistribute through the meat.Don't let the brisket get too cool!
- Slice the brisket point into one-inch slices, then cut it into one-inch cubes.
- Place the cubes into a foil pan.
- Sprinkle the brisket cubes with brown sugar and then cover with the barbeque sauce. Toss the beef cubes to make sure they are well coated.You can add other seasoning depending on your taste preference. Most of the flavor will come from the initial seasoning and smoking. The brown sugar and barbeque sauce will just add another layer of flavor to the meat candy.
- Preheat the smoker to 250 degrees and reload it with cherry wood for a sweet smoky flavor, or use your favorite wood chips.
- Place a thermometer into one of the beef cubes, place the pan with the seasoned cubes into the smoker, and smoke until they reach an internal temperature of 220 degrees and the burnt ends have absorbed the barbecue sauce and caramelized (1-2 hours)
- Remove the pan from the smoker and let the smoked burnt ends cool for about 15 minutes.
Dave Parker
Just made this today following this recipe with a couple tweaks. Came out amazing!
Chef Dennis Littley
I’m happy to hear you enjoyed the burnt ends. They are almost too good!