Poor Man's Burnt Ends
Brisket used to be the cheap cut of beef, but it can be very expensive nowadays. However, poor man’s burnt ends are made from chuck roast, a cheaper cut of meat. They are smoked low and slow until tender and finished then with barbecue sauce. They come out just as good as brisket burnt ends.
Time:
• Total: 5 to 6 hours
• Smoke: 3 to 4 hours
Ingredients
• Chuck roast
• Beef broth
• Worcestershire sauce
• Salt
• Black pepper
• Garlic
• Paprika
• BBQ sauce
• Apple juice or water (optional, for spritzing)
• Texas toast (for serving)
Instructions
○ Inject the chuck roast with beef broth and Worcestershire sauce, if desired.
○ Spray with water as a binder, then season the chuck roast with salt, pepper, garlic, and paprika.
○ Smoke at 250 degrees for 3 to 4 hours.
○ After at least 1 hour, once the bark has set, spritz with beef broth, apple juice, or water as needed to keep it moist.
○ When a good bark has formed, if the roast is still under 205 to 210 degrees, place it in a pan with some beef broth and BBQ sauce. Cover with foil and continue cooking until it reaches 205 to 210 degrees.
○ Remove the roast and cut it into 1-inch cubes.
○ Return the cubes to the pan, add more BBQ sauce, and continue cooking until the burnt ends are as tender as you like. They should squish easily when squeezed.
○ Serve on Texas toast.
Notes
For the BBQ sauce in the last step, you can make your own ketchup-based sauce and/or add butter, honey, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, and BBQ rub.