Those who attend the annual neighborhood barbecue or the company picnic may love the classic hamburger or hot dog, but why not switch things up? Stray from the typical BBQ food and teach yourself how to make burnt ends! Load up on the brisket and grill some versatile meat that can be served alongside your favorite sides or used to make a delicious sandwich.
How To Make Burnt Ends

What You’ll Need
- 1 brisket point (a cut that has more fat)
- 1 bottle of your favorite BBQ sauce
- 1/4 cup of your favorite meat rub
- 1/2 cup of Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tablespoons of honey
- 1/3 cup of cider vinegar
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Meat thermometer
Steps
- Preheat your smoker to 225 – 250 degrees F.
- Trim the excess fat and silver skin from your brisket point. Leave about 1/4 (or 6 mm) of fat left on the bottom of the brisket point.
- Coat your brisket with the vinegar and then apply a generous coating of the rub and salt and pepper.
- Place your seasoned brisket on the smoker and let it smoke for 4 – 5 hours. Keep the inside of the smoker at a temperature between 250 – 275 degrees F. You want your brisket to have an internal temperature between 150 – 165 degrees F.
- Carefully remove the brisket from the smoker and place in an aluminum pan. Slather the brisket with your BBQ sauce, Worcestershire sauce, and honey.
- Cover the brisket with aluminum foil and place back into the smoker until an internal temperature of 210 degrees F. This should take you about another hour.
- After the hour passes, cut the brisket into cubes, stir them to thoroughly coat them and let smoke for another hour. You’ll want to remove the cubes once the liquid has been reduced and the sauce has caramelized.
- Serve immediately.

Additional Recipes
Feel free to use additional ingredients for your rub such as garlic powder, onion powder, brown sugar, granulated sugar, or spicy kicks like cayenne pepper or chili powder. Your rub or sauce can be homemade or store-bought; live life to your tastes and mix your brisket with whatever seasoning works best for you.
Change things up a bit this summer with this delicious and versatile meat!