Smoked Brisket Burnt Ends
There’s a reason why smoked brisket burnt ends are often referred to as “meat candy”… They’re deliciously sweet, bite-sized morsels of beef that will have you acting like a kid in a candy store! This classic barbecue burnt ends recipe starts with a smoked packer brisket. Separate the point and cube it up to return to the smoker with some barbecue sauce, brown sugar, and honey for the perfect beef brisket burnt ends!
Servings: 8 people
Ingredients
- 15-18 lb whole packer beef brisket, trimmed *See notes
- Worcestershire sauce
- yellow mustard
- Texas Rub recipe
- ⅓ cup barbecue sauce *See notes
- 2 tablespoons honey *Or substitute hot honey
- 3 tablespoons brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons butter cut into about 6 pads
- 1 tablespoon 'Que That Barbecue Seasoning *Or substitute your favorite barbecue seasoning
Optional Barbecue Sauce Glaze
- ¼ cup barbecue sauce
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 3 tablespoons brown sugar
Instructions
- Prep the grill. Preheat the pellet grill or smoker to 225°F with your choice of pellets or wood.
- Season the brisket. Rub the trimmed brisket with a thin layer of Worcestershire sauce, then a thin layer of mustard, coating all sides lightly and evenly. *Using a binder is optional, but I chose to use a binder for added flavor and to help my seasoning adhere to the meat. Liberally season the brisket with the Texas Rub (about ⅓ cup depending on the size of your brisket).
- Smoke the brisket. Place the seasoned brisket directly on the grill grates fat side up, and close the grill lid. Smoke at 225°F until the internal temperature reaches 180°F. *For us, this took about 8½ - 9 hours, but always cook your meats to temperature as cooking times will vary based on the size of your meat, the heating capabilities and insulation of your grill, etc. Once the brisket reaches 180°F, remove it from the grill and wrap tightly in peach butcher paper - You can add about ¼ cup of beef tallow to the brisket before wrapping if you like. Adjust the grill temperature up to 275℉. Place the wrapped brisket back on the grill and cook at 275°F until the internal temperature reaches 200-203°F - about 1½ hours for us.
- Rest the smoked brisket. Remove the brisket from the grill, and allow it to rest (still wrapped) on the counter until the internal temperature drops to about 145-150°F. Resting time could take about 2-3 hours.
- Cut into cubes. Using a knife, separate the point from the flat, cutting down the large band of fat in the middle at an angle to divide the two parts of the brisket. Trim down any very large chunks of fat from the point if needed. Then, cut the point (fatty part) into cubes that are roughly 1.5″ square. Do your best to cut them evenly so that the burnt ends cook at the same time.
- Add sauce. Add the cubed brisket to a disposable foil pan. Drizzle on about ⅓ cup barbecue sauce and 2 tablespoons honey, and sprinkle with about 3 tablespoons brown sugar. Add a few pads of butter to the top (about 2-3 tablespoons total). Sprinkle the top with about 1 tablespoon of barbecue seasoning.
- Smoke the cubed brisket. Place the pan on the smoker, close the grill lid, and smoke at 300°F for about 2 hours, or until the sauce has tacked up a bit and the burnt ends are caramelized.
- Sauce again (optional). When the burnt ends are almost done on the smoker, you can prepare a simple barbecue sauce glaze if you wish. Just add about ¼ cup barbecue sauce, 2 tablespoons honey, and about 3 tablespoons brown sugar to a small sauce pan. Heat until boiling, then allow to boil for about 30-60 seconds. Remove the pan from the heat, and set aside. *We tossed our smoked burnt ends in this sweet glaze before serving, or you can leave out this step if you prefer.
- Serve. Right before serving your burnt ends, toss them in a bowl with the optional barbecue glaze from the previous step. The heat from the burnt ends will help to warm the sauce back up and create a nice glaze. Serve immediately.
Video
Notes
- Smoked whole brisket vs brisket point - We started by smoking a whole brisket, and then we separated the point from the flat after it was done cooking, but you can also separate your point before smoking. Or, you can purchase just the brisket point by itself, but this is often more difficult to find. If just smoking the brisket point by itself, adjust the cook times as needed, but the target internal temperatures remain the same.
- For the barbecue sauce - I recommend a tomato-based barbecue sauce with a vinegar kick to balance the sweetness of the other ingredients. We used Stubb's Original Barbecue Sauce, and it was perfect for this recipe! If using a sweeter bbq sauce, adjust the amounts of honey and brown sugar as needed.