Poor Man's Burnt Ends (Extremely Tender)

What are Poor Man's Burnt Ends?

Burnt ends are typically made in a smoker with the point end of a beef brisket where as poor man's burnt ends are made with a chuck roast. A chuck roast can typically be purchased in smaller amounts such as 3-4lbs where as a brisket is normally sold much larger in the 10lb plus range.

Even though the price per pound isn't that much different between the two cuts of beef, the smaller chuck roast tends to be less expensive. This is what gives these their poor man's name.

How to make poor man's burnt ends

The thing I love about these meat treats is they are inexpensive, taste delicious, and are super EASY to make. Start with a 3-4lb chuck roast for this chuck roast burnt ends recipe which can be found at your local butcher or grocery store.

Seasoning the meat

Less is more when seasoning for these chuck roast burnt ends. Simply sprinkle on a 50:50 mixture of sea salt and fresh cracked black pepper, about a couple tablespoons of each. No need to go crazy with other ingredients and flavors, salt & pepper will taste great!

Place the roast on a cutting board and season evenly on all sides with the salt and pepper.

No need to coat the roast in oil or a binder, the salt and pepper will stick to it just fine.

Smoking the roast

Fire up those smokers and get it to a consistent temperature of 275°F. Use hickory wood chips or a blend of different wood. Place the chuck roast directly on the grill grates and smoke until an internal temperature of 165°F, about 5 hours.

Use the thermometer provided with your pellet smoker or a meat thermometer with probes if using an offset smoker. This will allow you to monitor the temperature without opening the lid of the grill.

Using gloves, remove the wrapped roast from the smoker and wrap tightly in butcher paper or aluminum foil.

Smokers & Wood

There are two main types of smokers used today, a wood pellet smoker and a traditional offset smoker. Both will produce a fantastic tasting burnt end, so choose your smoker and let's roll some smoke!

Pellet smoker / Pellet grill

I'm smoking these burnt ends on my pellet smoker, just like the Camp Chef 36 smoker or Traeger 780. Pellet smokers are an easy and great way to impart fantastic smoke flavor on the beef, and other meats for that matter, without having to babysit a firebox all day.

They operate on wood pellets and hold a very steady temperature just like an oven. No worrying about temp spikes or dips with one of these bad boys.

Offset smoker

A traditional offset smoker is another great smoker to use. These use wood chips or wood chunks opposed to pellets and are normally less expensive than a pellet smoker.

A traditional offset smoker, like this Oklahoma Joe's Smoker is a great option to use. Though it takes a little more attention than a pellet smoker, this produces amazing flavored meat.

Best wood to use

Hickory wood is my favorite wood to use when making a chuck roast burnt ends. These can handle a more strong flavored wood such as mesquite as well.

If using a pellet smoker, using a competition or trophy blend of wood also gives these meat snacks the perfect flavor.

Slicing into small chunks

Place back on the smoker rack and continue to cook until the roasts internal temperature reaches of 195°F - 202°F or probe tender. This should take about another hour or so.

Remove the meat from the smoker and discard the butcher paper or aluminum foil. Slice into 1 inch cubes with a sharp knife.

BBQ sauce

Place the sliced meat in an aluminum pan and cover liberally with your favorite BBQ sauce. I'm using Jack Daniels sweet and spicy BBQ sauce, which has a fantastic balanced flavor.

Mix the sauce around with your gloved hand or a spoon until the meat has a good covering of barbecue sauce. Don't drown the meat in sauce, simply make sure there is a nice coating on all the pieces.

Want it a little more sweet? Sprinkle on a little brown sugar before you drizzle on the BBQ sauce for that extra sweetness!

Finishing it off

Cover the foil pan with a lid or aluminum foil and return to the smoker. Smoke for another hour to warm the sauce and allow it to become sticky on the chuck roast burnt ends.

The smoked burnt ends will be EXTREMELY tender and have a great flavor from the sauce and smoke. At this point they are ready to eat as an appetizer or serve as an entre. These pair great with some smoked mac n' cheese or smoked baked beans. ENJOY!

Burnt ends Video - How to

FAQ

Old Pro Tips

• Plan about ½lb pre-cooked weight per person. A 3lb chuck roast will serve 6 people.
• Buy good BBQ gloves that have a cotton liner glove that goes underneath the nitrile glove to enable you to handle hot meat straight off the smoker.
• Fresh cracked course ground black pepper gives a great flavor and texture to the meat.