Poor Man's Burnt Ends

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knifebld

Smoking Fanatic
Original poster
Mar 10, 2014
890
195
Valleyfield, Quebec
Hey all,

Wife felt like some burnt ends a few days ago and didn't have the time to smoke a full packer so I decided to try out some burnt ends out of a few chucks that I had sitting in the freezer. Here's how it went;

Prepped a marinade of Bourbon, Brown Sugar, Olive Oil, Mustard, and Worcestershire Sauce. Tossed the marinade and the roasts into large freezer bags and let them sit in the fridge for a good 12 hours.

Took them out in the morning and got the smoker ready;

   

Pulled them off at 195F, let them rest for 30 minutes or so, and then cubed them.

Tossed them into a pan added a little rub, coated with some of Jeff's BBQ sauce, and tossed in a few chunks of butter;

 

Let them take on a bit more smoke for another 2 hours, then took them off to serve! Here's the end product;


Final verdict....good but not great like the burnt ends that we normally have from the point of a smoked brisket. Not sure if that's cause I did not leave them on long enough to melt enough fat tissue, but they just did not have that melt in your mouth taste that burnt ends from brisket can have.

Wife still liked them, but I think she will force me to buy a full packer the next time I mention burnt ends! :)

Cheers.
 
How long were they on the smoker?  

When I want "poor man's burnt ends", I make pork shoulder burnt ends.  They aren't as good as brisket burnt ends (but really, what are?) but they get gooey and delicious.  Most people smoke a pork shoulder until about 160, cube it up, and toss it in a pan with rub and sauce and put it back on the smoker.  I've had better results by cubing it up and then adding it into a pan with some apple juice and covering it to steam for about an hour.  Then after they get nice and tender, I uncover it, drain the liquid, and toss it with rub/sauce and throw it on a hot grill to caramelize them.  They are good either way, but I find that they turn out a bit better the way that I just described.
 
Sorry  your BEs didn't turn out the way you wanted . IMHO , it's the fat cap that gives the Point that special flavor , however , you did a good job with the

Chucky .

Keep having fun and . . .
 
 
How long were they on the smoker?  

When I want "poor man's burnt ends", I make pork shoulder burnt ends.  They aren't as good as brisket burnt ends (but really, what are?) but they get gooey and delicious.  Most people smoke a pork shoulder until about 160, cube it up, and toss it in a pan with rub and sauce and put it back on the smoker.  I've had better results by cubing it up and then adding it into a pan with some apple juice and covering it to steam for about an hour.  Then after they get nice and tender, I uncover it, drain the liquid, and toss it with rub/sauce and throw it on a hot grill to caramelize them.  They are good either way, but I find that they turn out a bit better the way that I just described.
Not 100% sure how long I had the chucks on for...was measuring by temp rather than time. Cubed once the temps hit 195 (after a 30 minute rest), then let the ends take some smoke...probed a few of the larger pieces and they had an IT of 208...so still not sure why they did not fall apart.

Agree with you on the pork burnt ends...I love those...unfortunately the wife prefers beef. :(
 
 
Sorry  your BEs didn't turn out the way you wanted . IMHO , it's the fat cap that gives the Point that special flavor , however , you did a good job with the

Chucky .

Keep having fun and . . .
Would have to agree with you, never had an issue with the burnt ends I have done on any of my brisket smokes. Cheers.
 
 
Not 100% sure how long I had the chucks on for...was measuring by temp rather than time. Cubed once the temps hit 195 (after a 30 minute rest), then let the ends take some smoke...probed a few of the larger pieces and they had an IT of 208...so still not sure why they did not fall apart.

Agree with you on the pork burnt ends...I love those...unfortunately the wife prefers beef. :(
They were still great !!
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Maybe give them more time before you take them to the 200°+ range?!?!

I agree with your wife----Burnt Ends Gotta be Beef !!

Bear
 
 
Thanks Bear, what do you mean by more time?
It's hard for me to say how long, because I don't know how long & what Temp you smoked these before cubing, and after cubing.

My point is whatever it was, try longer, even if you have to lower the Temp to keep them from getting done earlier. That way you'll be giving the Chucky a smoking time closer to how long it takes to do a Brisket.

Hope that makes sense to more than just my small mind.

Bear
 
 
It's hard for me to say how long, because I don't know how long & what Temp you smoked these before cubing, and after cubing.

My point is whatever it was, try longer, even if you have to lower the Temp to keep them from getting done earlier. That way you'll be giving the Chucky a smoking time closer to how long it takes to do a Brisket.

Hope that makes sense to more than just my small mind.

Bear
Ahhhhh ok, I get what your saying. Thanks for the tip!
 
 
Ahhhhh ok, I get what your saying. Thanks for the tip!
Good---I'm glad you got it. I always try to proofread what I say, because just because the guy who says something understands it, doesn't mean it makes sense to others reading it. 
icon_rolleyes.gif


Bear
 
They do look great, sorry they didn't turn out how ya like.... Nice lookin smoke though ! Thumbs Up
 
Looks tasty! Can't call them poor man's here. Chucks are $2-3 per pound more than brisket in my neck of the woods! I have had mixed results using chuck roasts for burnt ends. Usually they come out great, but I have had a few tat weren't as tender. I do believe that a super slow smoke on them helps though.
 
Looks good, thanks for the idea.  I really wish they would sell just points.  They sell just flats.  What do they do with the points that they separate, burger?   What a waste that would be.  
 
 
Looks good, thanks for the idea.  I really wish they would sell just points.  They sell just flats.  What do they do with the points that they separate, burger?   What a waste that would be.  
Yeah I know what you mean. Just gonna have to spend more time smoking some full packers this summer...can't be too bumbed out over that! lol
 
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