Poor Man’s Burnt Ends: Smoked Beef Chuck Roast

You’ll feel affluent after eating these poor man’s charred ends!

Chuck roast is often used in stews or braises, but it is also delicious when cubed, seasoned, smoked, and topped with barbecue sauce.

These are a must-try alternative to brisket burned ends and are always a wonderful choice if brisket costs are too expensive or you don’t want to prepare such a huge chunk of meat.

Poor man’s burnt ends vs. brisket burnt ends

Burnt ends are traditionally delicate and tasty cubes of meat from the point end of a brisket. Brisket point is more fattier than flat brisket, making for wonderful chunks that are rich and meaty in taste.

Brisket might take a long time to reduce down because to its greater fat content, but when done right, there isn’t a finer bite of barbeque out there.

Briskets are huge chunks of beef that may be rather pricey. That is why chuck is a terrific budget-friendly alternative to burned ends.

Instead of spending over $100 on a large brisket that may weigh anywhere from 10 to 20 pounds, you can purchase a three to four-pound chuck roast and create poor man’s burned ends using virtually the same procedure.

I would remark , brisket charred ends have a deeper taste and a somewhat higher fat content than brisket points.

With that said, chuck is an excellent alternative and may provide the burned end appearance, taste, and tenderness if smoked slowly and cooked to the proper temperature.

The greatest thing is that your visitors will not be able to discern the difference, so they won’t know you skimped on them!

Where does chuck roast come from?

Chuck comes from the cow’s shoulder, just above the brisket. It has a fantastic meaty taste, yet it may be rough due to being a regularly trained muscle.

It is good for slow cooking and is often used for stews and other similar dishes. Slow cooking causes the connective tissue in the chuck to dissolve, allowing it to become incredibly soft. Boston Cut, English Roast, and Cross Cut are other roasts made from the chuck.

How to make poor man’s burnt ends 

1. Cube your chuck

Cut 1 by 1 cubes as evenly as possible so that they all cook at the same time.

Season the cubes with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. I applied another application of Kosmos Chipotle Honey Killer Bee to them.

I wanted to add a little flair and color to this rub, so I went for it! Feel free to use the basic SPG rub, our finest brisket rub, or whatever else you have in your rub closet.

Beef can withstand a lot of rubbing, so don’t be shy!

2.Fire up your smoker

For this meal, you may use whatever smoker you wish. I lit up my Big Green Egg Large and added some hickory wood bits to the hot embers. Once the wood pieces were lit, I closed the lid and adjusted the vents until the smoker was approximately 250F.

When your smoker has reached temperature, place your chuck cubes equally on the grill grate. Although I did not do so in this case, placing a water pan under the grate to capture drippings and assist deflect heat is an excellent idea.

This is also a good opportunity to add any more spice to the charred ends if there are any locations where the barbecue rub is lacking.

3. Spritz after an hour on the smoker

After an hour, spray the burned ends with a 50/50 mixture of water and beef broth.

This will keep the chuck wet and aid in the production of bark. Some claim that spritzing helps the smoke attach to the meat and creates a nicer smoke ring.

After the first spritz, spray every 30-45 minutes or whenever you see the meat beginning to dry up.

3. After 2-3 hours the burnt ends are ready to wrap

Your chuck roast will be ready to wrap in about 2-3 hours. Many men wrap their chuck roast in foil or butcher paper to help break down and tenderize the meat. You could cook the meat without wrapping it, but I like to.

When I have more time, I use butcher paper since it enables the meat to breathe a bit more and hence the bark to be better maintained.

Check that your chuck roast has an internal temperature of 165-175F using a meat thermometer. Wrap them in a couple pats of unsalted butter and sprinkle with honey.

You may also sprinkle with brown sugar, but I don’t like my meat excessively sweet.

The barbeque sauce at the end is more than enough for me.

The chuck cubes should have a nice bark and be considerably deeper in color at this point, particularly if you want to smoke with a stronger smoking wood like hickory.

After wrapping the chuck roast, return it to the smoker and cook it until the internal temperature reaches 205F.

4. Finishing off

When the charred ends feel spongy and can be pulled apart with some pressure, they’re done. They shouldn’t come apart in your palm, however. Overcooking them will cause the meat to dry up and alter texture.

When the foil is opened and the meat is done, it’s time to add the final touch.

I like to combine everything with barbeque sauce.

Use your favorite barbecue sauce or make your own with our homemade barbecue sauce recipe.

Close the foil and set the meat aside for 30 minutes after applying the barbeque sauce.

At this point, you may return them to the smoker to let the sauce to thicken.

If I’m serving these poor man’s burned ends to a big party, I’ll spread out some butcher paper, pile them in the center, and let everyone dig in.

You can pair these poor man’s charred ends with almost anything. It goes well with scalloped potatoes, green beans, coleslaw, or macaroni and cheese.

The dish is simple to prepare, tasty, and inexpensive. They are known as poor man’s burned ends, yet they taste like a million dollars!

Some more bbq beef recipes you might like to try

• BBQ Brisket burnt ends
• Texas style smoked beef short ribs
• Hot and fast bbq brisket
• Smoked Beef Shank

Poor Man’s Burnt Ends Recipe