Poor man’s burnt ends turn an affordable chuck roast into sweet, sticky bites with smoky bark on every edge. You get the same melt-in-your-mouth payoff as brisket burnt ends without buying a whole packer or tending the smoker all night.
Want burnt ends for dinner tonight instead of tomorrow? This chuck roast version goes from raw to glazed in about three and a half hours.
As a KCBS grand champion pitmaster with more than 80 Top 10 calls, I smoke and turn in burnt ends on the competition circuit all the time. But my love for them started years earlier in Kansas City, where I tasted my first burnt ends at Jack Stack.
For backyard burnt ends, I do things a little differently than most recipes. I cube the chuck roast before it ever hits the smoker, so every side builds seasoned bark. Bonus: it cuts the cook time too.
GCG Pro Tip: Hooked on burnt ends? Try my pork belly burnt ends and my corned beef burnt ends next.
At a Glance
- Cut: One 4-pound chuck roast
- Smoker Temp: 275F degrees, indirect heat
- Total Smoke Time: About 3 hours and 15 minutes
- Method: Cube, season, smoke, braise in sauce, then glaze
What Are Poor Man’s Burnt Ends
Poor man’s burnt ends are bite-size cubes of smoked chuck roast that braise in sauce until tender and then get glazed on the smoker. They earned the nickname because you can make them from one inexpensive chuck roast instead of a whole brisket.
Chuck comes from the shoulder and is loaded with marbling and connective tissue. As they smoke, the heat breaks all of that down, so each cube eats a lot like a classic brisket point burnt end.
A Quick History of Burnt Ends
Burnt ends trace back to Henry Perry, the Kansas City pitmaster who gets credit for making them famous. Back then, burnt ends were the charred edges trimmed off a smoked brisket. They were a pitmaster’s snack or a freebie handed to customers waiting in line.
Perry mentored Charlie Bryant, and Charlie’s brother Arthur eventually took over the restaurant. In the 1970s, Playboy magazine wrote about the “burned edges” of brisket served at Arthur Bryant’s, and their popularity spread nationwide.
Pitmasters started making burnt ends on purpose, usually from the brisket point, and cut them into more uniform cubes.
Over the past 20 years, the idea has grown well beyond brisket. I’ve made burnt ends with turkey, pork belly, chuck roast and even butternut squash. Even hot dogs have had their burnt end moment.
Today, I turn in brisket burnt ends at competitions. For contests, I smoke the point, braise it in beef broth, then cube it, sauce it and smoke it again.
Backyard burnt ends get a different approach. Many recipes smoke the meat whole and cube it later. I cube first as a nod to the original burnt edges, because I want seasoned bark on every side. Then I braise the cubes in sauce and butter, which also speeds up the cook.
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Heat smoker: Heat your smoker to 275F degrees and set it up with an indirect heat zone.
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Cube: Slice the chuck roast into one-inch cubes.
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Season: Rub the cubes with brisket rub and arrange them in a single layer on a wire rack.
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Smoke: Place the rack on the smoker and smoke at 275F degrees for 90 minutes.
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Sauce: Transfer the smoked beef cubes to a disposable aluminum pan. Toss with BBQ sauce, butter and honey.
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Braise: Cover the pan and smoke for 90 minutes or until the meat is fork tender.
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Glaze: Uncover the pan and smoke for about 15 minutes or until the sauce is sticky.
The temperature will fool you. The meat can read 208F to 210F degrees and still not be tender. Test a cube with a fork and keep cooking until it slides in with no resistance.
Calories: 324kcalCarbohydrates: 9gProtein: 29gFat: 19gSaturated Fat: 9gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 109mgSodium: 261mgPotassium: 542mgFiber: 0.3gSugar: 7gVitamin A: 143IUVitamin C: 0.3mgCalcium: 45mgIron: 4mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
What you’ll need
- Chuck Roast: Look for a 4-pound roast with plenty of marbling. That fat renders during the cook and keeps every bite juicy.
- Girls Can Grill Brisket Rub: Use my brisket rub, your favorite beef rub or spice or keep it simple with salt and pepper.
- BBQ Sauce: Grab your favorite. A sweet, tomato-based sauce caramelizes nicely in the final step. I like savory sauces with beef like Blue’s Hog Smokey Mountain.
- Butter: Melts into the sauce during the braise and adds richness to the lean edges.
- Honey: Gives the sauce that glossy, sticky finish burnt ends are known for.
Substitutions: Swap the honey for brown sugar or maple syrup. For traditional burnt ends, use a brisket point instead of chuck roast, but plan on a longer cook.
See the full recipe card above for servings and a full list of ingredients.
How to Make Poor Man’s Burnt Ends
Heat your smoker to 275F degrees and set it up with an indirect heat zone.
Step 1: Cube the Chuck Roast
Slice the chuck roast into one-inch cubes. Keeping them close to the same size helps them cook evenly.
Step 2: Season and Rack
Toss the cubes with brisket rub until every side is coated. Arrange them in a single layer on a wire rack.
GCG Pro Tip: Leave a little space between the cubes. Smoke and airflow need to reach every side to build bark on all the edges.
Step 3: Smoke for 90 Minutes
Place the rack on the smoker over indirect heat. Smoke at 275F degrees for 90 minutes to set the bark. The internal temperature will be about 170F.
Step 4: Braise in Sauce, Butter and Honey
Transfer the smoked beef cubes to a disposable aluminum pan. Toss them with the BBQ sauce, butter and honey. Cover the pan and return it to the smoker for 90 minutes or until the meat is fork tender.
GCG Pro Tip: The temperature will fool you. Chuck can read 208F to 210F degrees on a meat thermometer and still not be tender. Poke a cube with a fork. If it slides in with no resistance, it's ready.
Step 5: Glaze Uncovered
Uncover the pan and smoke for about 15 minutes more or until the sauce turns thick and sticky.
How to Serve Poor Man’s Burnt Ends
Serve this dish Kansas City style with slices of white bread and pickles, or spoon them next to a pile of sweet, smoky pit beans. They also work stacked on slider buns with sliced onions or speared with toothpicks as a game day appetizer.
Storage
Let leftovers cool, then refrigerate them in an airtight container for up to 5 days. To reheat, warm them gently in a covered pan with an extra spoonful of sauce until heated through.
GCG Pro Pitmaster Tips
- Cube first for bark on every side
- Single layer with room to breathe
- Well-marbled roasts make juicier bites
- Fork tender beats any number
- Uncover only at the end to tack up the sauce
Frequently Asked Questions
Poor man’s burnt ends are cubes of chuck roast that are seasoned, smoked, braised in BBQ sauce until tender and glazed. They deliver the flavor and texture of brisket burnt ends from one affordable roast.
Traditional burnt ends come from the point of a whole brisket, which is a big and pricey cut that takes all day to smoke. Chuck roast is smaller, less expensive and cooks in a fraction of the time.
Many recipes smoke the roast whole and cube it later. I cube it first so every side gets seasoned bark, and the smaller pieces cook faster.
Go by tenderness, not temperature. Chuck can read 208F to 210F degrees and still be chewy. They are done when a fork slides into a cube with no resistance.
Plan on about 3 hours and 15 minutes at 275F degrees: 90 minutes uncovered, 90 minutes covered in sauce and about 15 minutes uncovered to glaze. Cook times vary with your roast and smoker. If you smoke them at a lower temperature, they will take longer.
