Brisket Burnt Ends | How to make burnt ends from beef brisket

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To BBQ connoisseurs Brisket Burnt Ends are a delicacy. These delicious morsels of smoked brisket are created by first smoking the point end of a brisket. For this recipe I’m starting with a whole packer brisket. If you can find just the point, it’s perfectly ok to start with it; but I find it hard to source just the point end.

The first step is to separate the whole packer. Remove the thick vein of fat that joins the flat and point; carefully trim between each muscle. Once you have them separated, trim off the excess fat on the outer sides of the point.

The goal here is to expose the meat; you’ll notice that it’s heavily marbled so there’s plenty of fat to keep the point juicy while it cooks. Go ahead and trim the bottom layer of fat to ¼” on the flat while you’re at it. For this recipe you won’t need the flat, so you have the option to cook it alongside the point or save it for later.

I use 3 different seasonings for brisket: The first is a simple salt & pepper layer (my Killer Hogs AP Rub works great here but you can use any All Purpose seasoning); then it gets a layer of The BBQ Rub on all sides followed by light coat of coarse ground Steak Rub just on the top side. This combo creates a savory flavored brisket with really good bark.

Now it’s time to fire up the smoker, I’m using my Ole Hickory Pit for this cook but as always any smoker will do the job. The smoker needs to run at 250⁰ and add a few chunks of Pecan wood for smoke. When the cooker is up to temp, place the point on the rack and let it smoke until it develops a mahogany color on the outside (about 4 hours).

Once the bark has set and the color is right, place the brisket point in an aluminum pan and add beef broth around the point (not over it). Cover the pan with aluminum foil and return it to the smoker.

It will take about 3-4 additional hours to get the point tender. It needs to go to an internal temperature of 205-210⁰. Use an instant read thermometer to check the temp and once it’s there, remove the pan from the smoker and carefully transfer the point to a cutting board.

The drippings or “Brisket Jus” is used to make a sauce for the burnt ends. Pour the jus into a fat separator or jar to remove the fat. It will separate and float to the top. The fat can be ladled off or if you use a separator, simply draw it out the bottom back into the aluminum pan. Mix ½ cup of The BBQ Sauce with the jus and give it a quick stir.

To turn the point into burnt ends, use a sharp knife and cut the point into 1”x 1” cubes. Dredge each burnt end in the sauce mixture and line them bark-side-up in the pan. Drizzle a little more sauce over the top and return to the smoker for a quick glaze (10-15 min).

At this point the burnt ends are done and ready to serve. A perfect burnt end is soft and has a savory, sticky-sweet taste with all the great flavors of a smoked brisket. When you pop one in your mouth it will effortlessly melt into a flavor explosion!

Burnt Ends always disappear fast, so go ahead and enjoy a few before they’re gone!

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