If you’re a BBQ and traditional brisket enthusiast, then you’re gonna love my BBQ Brisket Burnt Ends recipe. Don’t miss the succulent sweet and spicy flavor from the barbecue sauce, honey, chipotles, and my favorite Cherry Chipotle Ale Rub.
This classic burnt ends recipe works in tandem with my Overnight Smoked Brisket recipe, where we smoke a packer brisket for up to 14 hours. The crispy ends, made with the seasoned brisket point, can be made while the rest of the brisket continues to rest at room temperature.
Why You’ll Love BBQ Brisket Burnt Ends
After the whole process of making the best brisket for 24 hours, it’s always a great idea to have different ways to enjoy every part of the brisket! The point of a brisket, cubed, gets some extra great flavor from a sweet and spicy barbecue sauce. After a cooking process of up to 2 additional hours in the smoker, they’re so tender, you may fall to your knees in thanks for the extra effort.
If you’re a meat candy enthusiast like me, for the best bite ever, you may also want to check out these recipes: Brisket Burnt Ends, Crispy Pork Belly Burnt Ends, Smoked Bologna Burnt Ends, Pastrami Pork Belly Burnt Ends, and Honey Garlic Pork Belly Burnt Ends.
Ingredients for the Entire Brisket
- Whole Brisket – A whole packer brisket gets a nice bark thanks to some beef tallow and one of my spicy dry rubs. Apple cider vinegar is spritzed over the pink butcher paper adds to the great results.
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- Burnt Ends – We’ll take the cooked brisket point and add rich flavor with some favorite BBQ sauce, local honey, chipotle puree, and my Cherry Chipotle Ale Rub – the perfect combination.
how to make overnight smoked brisket
The best BBQ brisket burnt ends start with the most flavorful beef brisket, smoked overnight. As a recap, here are the steps to the best overnight smoked beef brisket. For more details and photos, check out my Smoked Brisket recipe.
- At about 8 am, place the top side of the brisket on the cutting board, trim excess fat, and carve a corner off the point so you’ll know how to cut against the grain. Flip, trim the fat cap to ¼ inch, and remove the fat flap. Season the brisket with tallow and your preferred rub. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours, ideally 12, for a dry brine.
- At 10 pm, set the smoker to 225° degrees F, add wood chips for extra smoky flavor, and insert a foil pan with boiling water for moisture. Smoke the brisket, fat side down, until it reaches 165-170° degrees F (about 7-8 hours).
- Next lay out 2 long pieces of overlapping butcher paper, spritz with apple cider vinegar, and place the brisket inside, about 2 feet from the end. Drizzle on the beef tallow before folding and tucking in the sides of the paper. Return the wrapped brisket to the smoker at 250-265° degrees F until the beef reaches 195-200° degrees F (5-6 hours).
- While still in the butcher paper burrito, let the beef brisket rest in a cooler at room temperature for about 2 hours, the best way to ensure maximum tenderness. Unwrap and slice, reserving the peach butcher paper juices for the burnt ends.
- While you’re making the burnt ends, rewrap the rest of the brisket and put it back in the cooler.
How to Make BBQ Brisket Burnt Ends
For the BBQ Brisket Burnt Ends, start cubing the point of the brisket with a sharp knife, making 2-inch chunks. Now, grab your foil bin for your brisket cubes. Add in the juicy brisket-wrap juices, some Cherry Chipotle Ale Rub, chipotle puree, honey, and your favorite BBQ sauce.
Mix everything until nice and sticky, and then pop the foil bin onto the smoker. Let the burnt ends smoke at a slightly higher temperature of 250 degrees F. Check on them 1-2 hours later and pull them off when the meat gets super tender.
When those burnt ends are finally ready, let them cool for about 10 minutes. Then, it’s time. Plate them up alongside the slices of smoked brisket, and let the feast begin! Cheers!
What to Serve with BBQ Brisket Burnt Ends
Besides serving up the BBQ Brisket Burnt Ends alongside the tasty smoked brisket slices, a great way to enjoy this feast is with some classic BBQ sides. Mac and cheese, cornbread (or white bread, of course!), baked beans, and perhaps some sauteed collard greens, perhaps? And don’t forget the beer (or sweet tea if you’re not drinking)!
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Leftovers & Reheating
If you miraculously have any brisket burnt ends left, wrap them in aluminum foil and store them in an airtight container for 3-5 days in the refrigerator.
As for what to do with leftover brisket, the possibilities are fairly endless. Brisket burnt-end sandwiches anyone with some crunchy cole slaw? Yes, please!
FAQs
Burnt ends are from the fattier point of the brisket, and this part can be initially tough. However, with prolonged smoking at low temperatures, the collagen in the meat gradually converts into gelatin. This adds moisture and tenderness to the meat, thus resulting in the melt-in-your-mouth texture that makes life worth living.
Poor man’s burnt ends are a budget-friendly alternative to traditional burnt ends, typically made using a cut of meat other than brisket point, such as chuck roast or other economical beef cuts.
If you want to try it, check out my Poor Man’s Burnt Ends recipe!
For the easiest, high-tech smoking, I highly recommend Oklahoma Joe’s Tahoma 900 smoker. It uses gravity to keep the fire going at a steady temperature. It comes with a digital meat thermometer probe connected to an app on your phone, so you’ll always be on top of the temperature.
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BBQ Brisket Burnt Ends
Ingredients
For Burnt Ends:
- 1 Cooked Brisket Point
- 1 cup Favorite BBQ Sauce
- 2.5 tbsp Local Honey
- 2.5 tbsp Chipotle Puree
- 1.5 tbsp Cherry Chipotle Ale Rub
Instructions
- After 2 hours of resting, take your brisket point and rotate it 90 degrees so that you cut against the grain. Begin cubing it into 2” cubes and make sure to remove any excess fat from that large fat pocket.
- Into a large foil bin, place all of your cubed brisket.
- Combine the juices from the brisket wrap with the Cherry Chipotle Ale Rub, chipotle puree, honey, and BBQ sauce. Mix everything together.
- Place the foil bin on the smoker at 250 degrees F to cook for another 1-2 hours until the meat is very soft to the touch.
- Pull the burnt ends off and let cool for 10 minutes. Serve and enjoy!
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Notes
How to Make BBQ Brisket Burnt Ends
The best BBQ brisket burnt ends start with the most flavorful beef brisket, smoked overnight. As a recap, here are the steps:- At about 8 am, place the top side of the brisket on the cutting board, trim excess fat, and carve a corner off the point so you’ll know how to cut against the grain. Flip, trim the fat cap to ¼ inch, and remove the fat flap. Season the brisket with tallow and your preferred rub. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours, ideally 12, for a dry brine.
- At 10 pm, set the smoker to 225° degrees F, add wood chips for extra smoky flavor, and insert a foil pan with boiling water for moisture. Smoke the brisket, fat side down, until it reaches 165-170° degrees F (about 7-8 hours).
- Next lay out 2 long pieces of overlapping butcher paper, spritz with apple cider vinegar, and place the brisket inside, about 2 feet from the end. Drizzle on the beef tallow before folding and tucking in the sides of the paper. Return the wrapped brisket to the smoker at 250-265° degrees F until the beef reaches 195-200° degrees F (5-6 hours).
- While still in the butcher paper burrito, let the beef brisket rest in a cooler at room temperature for about 2 hours, the best way to ensure maximum tenderness. Unwrap and slice, reserving the peach butcher paper juices for the burnt ends.
- While you’re making the burnt ends, rewrap the rest of the brisket and put it back in the cooler.
