You are finished at this moment. There’s no need to rest the brisket charred ends for too long; just wait for them to cool and savor these morsels of absolute paradise.

Brisket is the undisputed king of the grill. There’s something unique about smoking a large piece of meat for hours for everyone to enjoy.

If you’ve never experienced brisket burned ends, you must try this recipe! These meaty pillows are literally meat delight. Tender, fatty, meaty, and full of bark, they melt in your tongue.

Burnt ends are also much more forgiving than smoking a whole brisket, making them a fantastic party food.

What are burnt ends?

Burnt ends are delicate and flavorful beef cubes cut from the fattier tip end of a brisket.

Burnt ends were once an afterthought when it came to Kansas City-style barbecue. The crispy ends of the brisket were cut, sauced, and served.

Burnt ends are becoming a standard on barbeque restaurant menus throughout the nation. The method has also been used on other types of meat. Other cuts, such as our poor man’s burned ends, or even various proteins, such as pig belly burnt ends, fish burnt ends, and even hotdog burnt ends, are often utilized.

What part of the brisket is used for burnt ends

Some people smoke the brisket entire and then separate the point and flat while preparing burned ends, but I like to separate the two muscles ahead of time.

You just need the fattier, more delicate side of the tip for burned ends.

Some retailers will sell you a point separately, which is a fantastic alternative if all you want to do is create burned ends.

If you can’t locate it, purchase a full packer brisket and split it yourself.

By separating the point ahead of time, you can season the whole piece, resulting in a much nicer bark.

To separate the point, look for the deckle, which is the fat line towards the point’s end. Make a diagonal incision and follow the fat line until the pieces are separated. Take your time and make sure you have a sharp knife on hand.

You may season the flat brisket separately and cook it with the point, or you can keep it for another time.

Selecting a brisket

When it comes to brisket for burned ends, I generally go for prime. The additional marbling in the prime cut makes it more delicate and flavorful. The prime grade is not much more costly than the choice grade.

When deciding which brisket to purchase, check to see how much fat or marbling it has. Just because the meat is labeled prime doesn’t imply it’s all the same.

The bend test is a good way to choose a brisket. Pick up a couple briskets and attempt to fold them in half or wriggle one end up and down.

If the brisket seems too rigid, there isn’t enough fat going through it.

Choose the brisket with the most give or bend. That will be the tenderness winner, and you will thank me afterwards.

You may also save money by making poor man’s burned ends using less expensive chuck roast.

Trimming a brisket for burnt ends

Brisket trimming might be scary for some individuals since it is such a huge chunk of meat.

My trimming method is the same whether I’m cooking a full brisket or creating burned ends. Before cutting, I normally freeze my brisket for around 2 hours. This greatly improves precision and makes trimming much simpler.

I next remove all of the fat from the top of the brisket, leaving about a quarter inch on the bottom. If there is any firm fat, particularly on the tip, I remove that as well. I also round off the brisket’s edges to make it more aerodynamic, as Aaron Franklin would say.

How to make brisket burnt ends

Making brisket burned ends takes some planning and time, but the results are well worth it!

1. Separate the point from the flat

The first step is to separate the point from the flat.

To do so, run a sharp knife down the deckle (the fat line that separates the two muscles) and carefully separate them.

2. Season the brisket

Season your point with kosher salt, coarse black pepper, and granulated garlic powder from here. I used all coarse seasoning since it will help you obtain that lovely crispy bark we all adore.

You might also use our homemade brisket rub to get excellent results.

I prefer to let my brisket to season overnight. Because this is such a large chunk of beef, marinating it overnight allows everything to infiltrate the flesh and impart flavor and salt.

When the brisket is well seasoned, lay it in a foil pan, cover it, and set it in the refrigerator.

This is optional, but it helps improve the taste.

3. Set up your smoker to 250°F

When preparing brisket, be sure to prepare ahead of time and allow enough of time.

I can’t tell you how many times I had to hurry because I hadn’t planned ahead of time. For me, an hour per pound plus time to rest is a decent rule of thumb, but since we’re manufacturing burned ends, the resting time is significantly shorter.

I used my Pit Boss Pro 1600 and configured it to 250F for this cook.

Some folks smoke around 225F, but I like to smoke at a little higher temperature since I believe it produces a nicer bark. Plus, why not save a little time without sacrificing results?

4. Smoke the brisket

There is no need to do anything with your brisket for the first 2 hours while it is smoking.

I normally spray with water after the second hour and then inspect it every 45 minutes to an hour, spritzing if the brisket appears dry. The spritzing will assist keep the brisket wet, generate a better smoke ring, and aid in the formation of the bark. Everything is fine!

When the brisket has reached 165°F and the bark has hardened, cover it in foil or pink butcher paper and pour in the beef broth. Return it to the smoker until the internal temperature of the brisket reaches 195F.

Remove the brisket from the smoker and remove it from the foil. Cover the point with barbecue sauce and brown sugar, then cut it into 1-inch chunks. Blues Hog Original, or our own handmade barbecue sauce recipe, would be ideal for them.

When the brisket cubes or burned ends are completely coated in the sauce, return them to a skillet or tray uncovered for another hour, or until the internal temperature reaches 205F-210F.

Normally, I wouldn’t slice a brisket this far, but it’s what you want for burned ends.

Brisket Burnt Ends Recipe