ISO Burnt Ends Recipe

[Steve Kroll]

So, the wife and I did a road trip through Missouri last week. We spent some time in Branson (overrated), as well as Kansas City, Springfield, and St.Louis.

While in KC, we ate at a place called Arthur Bryant's, which is supposedly one of the top rated barbeque places in the area. We tried to sample a few things on the menu that sounded good. They were hit or miss. I felt the smoked sausage was kind of a dud (DW liked it, though) and the sides were just sort of okay. And they served everything on white Wonder-type bread, which I despise with a passion. It did kind of work with the barbeque, though. It sopped up all the sauce, though I still think a nice kaiser roll would've been a better touch.

Of all the things I tasted, I have to say the best - BY FAR - was something they call "burnt ends." As near as I could tell (and Google confirmed), it seems to be the charred edges of a brisket, chopped up, and begging for sauce. Arthur Bryant's sauces didn't disappoint. Their signature original sauce was unique. I've never tasted anything quite like it. Very little sweetness and a lot of hot paprika and vinegar. Burnt ends and AB sauce is awesome stuff.

I have a big outdoor party planned for my winemaking club in August. I'm thinking I would like to serve up something like those delicious burnt ends, tossed in sauce and served on a roll. I already make what I think is a pretty killer sauce (though maybe not in the same league as Arthur Bryant's). I just need a recipe for the ends.

Anyone have any tips on how to go about doing it? I have a smoker ring attachment for my Weber kettle grill, but I haven't used it a lot. What I'm thinking is slow roasting the brisket in the oven until tender and then finishing it off in the smoker. Would that work?

 

[leasingthisspace]

If I would have known you were going thru KC I would have told you to make a pitstop in Weston, MO. Amazing little town. Has there own winery and brewhouse. Maybe next time.
I would start in the smoker and finish in the oven. I actually would do it all in the smoker but if I couldn't that's the way I'd do it.

 

[Whiskadoodle]

I have never made a brisket. Just so you know up front what kind of advice this is likely to be.


I have found in bbq/grilling anything, it is best to Start on the grill, and finish in the oven, if need be ( in case of weather etc). The smoke permeates the meat from the get -go and the meat only absorbs so much, and not any more after the meat reaches a certain cooking temp. When you look at smoked meats, the smoke ring penetrates only so far, not because it can’t go any deeper, but because the internal temp has reached this point and doesn’t allow anything further. I’m sure there is some chemistry module that explains this. It is acceptable to bake something, and finish on the grill, if it is a barbeque sauce that you are looking to paint or brush on. That isn’t what I see you trying to achieve here. If you are going to serve Burnt Ends, Then I suggest you grill a brisket. Rubbed and Dry marinaded.


Then when it is done and cool enough to handle, slice or chunk it against the grain and Toss it again with some more rub and put it into a disposable sheet pan in single layers and back on the grill until it has all turned into burnt ends. WHAT I can not figure, is how to do the 2nd cook without drying the brisket out and keep it moist. Maybe that’s where the sauce comes into play. If the pan is covered, I would think it would just warm up and steam cook, So that’s a dilemma. Maybe you want to try some ways out using a smaller cut of meat or sacrificing a brisket cut in portions to try different methods. If you were to slice it before cooking, then it’s a stir fry, and I don’t think that’s the best route.


Briskets are available in full packer cuts, point and flats and separate entities. Just make sure you buy one that is not Injected. That discussion has floated around DC before. It’s all too much for me, so I never do anything except look at them at the meat market and move on to some thing more manageable.

Consequently, I never paid attention if one is supposed to Cook with the fat cap on top or underneath. I think that remains controversial. I expect one should not remove the fat.

I tend to avoid dry rubs/ dry marinades, because I don’t care for added salt and too much sugar ( you won’t find me brining the T’s-giving turkey, and I still get a moist bird). But in this instance a good rub with plenty of turbinado sugar should be your friend. The slow carmelization that takes place should aid in achieving the burnt ends at about the same slow and low temp rate you grill at. Indirect heat method.

It’s definitely not the same thing, I do dry rubs when making pork ribs, and they always come out good.

The sauce you were served that you liked, sounds more like a Carolina type sauce, which is interesting since you were in KC which is famous for it’s own bbq sauce style. It may indeed be an old sauce recipe you were served, more original than the stuff we see on the grocery shelf as KC Sauces which have become too tomatoey and overpowered by hickory smoke in an attempt to be Authentique. I think you had the real deal !!

These are my ideas. if I am talking out of both sides of my mouth, it’s because my tongue is salivating.

Note-- new lesson to self. Don’t read DC before Breakfast.

Sure, now that I write this, I decide to google a bit— I went for google Images rather than google Recipes. All this means is someone is an artful photographer; it’s more manageable with more than the 43 million dozen hits. Here’s two I find interesting--

How To Make Burnt Ends

Smoked Beef Spare Ribs and Burnt Ends Part 1 - Preparation Recipe Video by 007bondjb | ifood.tv

JB’s home movies are a hoot. If you pay att’n he knows how to cook. Nevermind, that Boy. He’s been saying this for years. He doesn’t seem to mean anything by it. His film editing skills haven’t improved either. I’ll fast forward to Part 3 -- The Interesting thing is he finishes his Burnt Ends in the Oven after a bbq grill cook. This might work and smell up the house really nice when you have your gathering.

I think this is a great idea for a summer get together. Hawaiian shirts required.

 

[Steve Kroll]

Interesting thoughts... thank you both. So it really appears that I should smoke first, followed by slow oven roasting, if further tenderizing is needed. After this, cube the ends, toss with more rub and sauce, and finish it in the smoker.

The sauce you were served that you liked, sounds more like a Carolina type sauce, which is interesting since you were in KC which is famous for it’s own bbq sauce style. It may indeed be an old sauce recipe you were served, more original than the stuff we see on the grocery shelf as KC Sauces which have become too tomatoey and overpowered by hickory smoke in an attempt to be Authentique. I think you had the real deal !!

The Carolina sauces I've had before are somewhat thin and contain a lot of vinegar and mustard. The AB sauce was not like that, nor was it like storebought sauce, which I generally find to be too sweet. AB's sauce was not overly sweet or smokey (though they did also serve a sweet variation). It was more like a thick pepper/paprika-based sauce with a nice tangy vinegar kick. It also packed some heat - not burn-your-mouth kind of heat, but more of the warm-you-up-from-the-inside-out kind.

 

[gadzooks]

Arthur Bryant's Burnt Ends Recipe

 

[buckytom]

i can't help with the burnt ends recipe, but i wanted to comment on arthur bryant's sauces. a few guys at work occasionally get together to order a case or two of their various sauces. i mean, they're so good that people who have access to so much in the culinary world seek out that little place in k.c..
i've tried the original, and it's outstanding.

 

[CWS4322]

Arthur Bryant's Burnt Ends Recipe

I looked at the recipe. What does one do with the rest of the brisket? Or is it just a poorly worded "Cut burnt ends (blackened portion) from lean smoked section of smoked brisket and then chop into cubes."

 

[leasingthisspace]

I looked at the recipe. What does one do with the rest of the brisket? Or is it just a poorly worded "Cut burnt ends (blackened portion) from lean smoked section of smoked brisket and then chop into cubes."

I think burnt ends started out as trying to find a use for the slightly burnt dried out end pieces so people could make use of the whole brisket.

 

[Claire]

If you're doing it for a group, you can smoke the meat in advance, then freeze or refrigerate. On the day of the party, thaw and put in a crock pot with your favorite sauce (I agree most commercial ones are way to sweet for me).

I once had a pig ... well, I lived in Hawaii, and feral pigs on outer islands were a true menace to ecology. So a friend whose husband was one who was called out to hunt them called me around midnight one night and asked if I had room for a pig. I had visitors, but also had a small chest freezer, and had him put it directly in the freezer. Yes, it was still warm and slimy (it had been correctly skinned and gutted). So here I am with a small pig in my freezer.
I didn't have a smoker, but did have a weber kettle thing, and smoked it all, got it in manageable chunks, and re-froze (it was a small pig). Then I made a lot of stuff with it, kabobs, but most people like it chopped and in the crock pot with that ungodly too sweet barbecue sauce.

 

[PrincessFiona60]

Take a brisket, cut it against the grain into long strips about an inch and a half wide. Slice the thicker pieces in half to form thinner strips. Place in the smoker well-spaced so the smoke can hit all the sides. Once smoked to temp, sauce to glaze them, then you have a huge pile of burnt ends...chop and add additional sauce.

P.S. I think making your own sauce from one of your own wines turned to vinegar might be outstanding.

 

[gadzooks]

I looked at the recipe. What does one do with the rest of the brisket? Or is it just a poorly worded "Cut burnt ends (blackened portion) from lean smoked section of smoked brisket and then chop into cubes."

Overnight FedEx it to me...

 

[Steve Kroll]

P.S. I think making your own sauce from one of your own wines turned to vinegar might be outstanding.

Funny you should mention this. I do add alcohol to my BBQ sauce, and have used my own wine on occasion (haven't tried making wine vinegar, though).

Mostly I just use whatever I happen to have on hand, be it wine, brandy, whiskey, or bourbon.