Poor Man’s Burnt Ends

You won’t be able to eat just one or two of these perfectly caramelized and sticky Poor Man’s Burnt Ends. Your taste buds can’t decide whether to savor each bite or to rush and get another one as these are tender and melt in your mouth.

If you have ever made a burnt ends recipe with brisket, hot dogs, bologna, or pork belly, you know these smoked chuck roast burnt tips are packed with flavor and it’s hard to resist eating just a couple. Using a chuck roast can often times *but not every time* bring down the cost of making burnt ends depending on where you live or what the meat prices are running in your area.

Either way, these little smoked beef bites stand beautifully on their own.

We put our own spin on this by smoking our roast whole and then cutting into cubes vs the traditional way of starting with cubed beef.

🍲 What Are Burnt Ends?

These all came about when competition pit masters would slice the brisket, leaving the point pieces that were crispy and a tad hard to eat.

None of us likes to waste so they took these pieces of “barbecue gold” as they are referred to. So they got smothered with butter, BBQ sauce, sugar, and heated up to become ooey-gooey, sticky bites of heaven.

Poor man’s burnt ends are a variation of the classic that uses the more affordable chuck roast instead of brisket.

Adapt the term burnt ends to any meat you’d like. Hot dogs and bologna are stiff competition for all their beef counterparts, especially when it comes to convenience and cooking speed.

📝 Why This Works

✔️Flexible | Depending on the size of the chuck roast you prepare, you can make a large batch of burnt ends for game day or a block party or make a smaller, two-pound roast that will serve a couple of people (yes, that sounds crazy until you try these puppies and then there is no sharing!) on a lazy Saturday night.

✔️Versatile | There are so many ways to mix this up using the same base recipe. The magic is really in the sauce and rub. As long as the sauce has a good amount of sugar to help make it sticky, and create a combination that you and your family will love.

🥩 Ingredients

Smoked Chuck Roast

🛒Chuck Roast | Look for one that has a lot of fat cut off but still has good marbling. The size of the beef will determine how long this is going to take. A smaller roast will take less time to smoke than a larger one, obviously. If you are serving a lot of people, consider buying two smaller roasts to cut down the cooking time.

I have the most luck shopping at Costco for the chuck roast. They always have it in stock and they are really good quality. Alternatively, ask your butcher to help you pick out a good quality roast.

🛒BBQ Rub | Use your favorite BBQ rub for this one. We love the BBQ Bros line and the Dizzy Pig Dizzy Dust All Purpose Rub when it comes to ready-made options. Or make this super easy homemade roast rub I often use when smoking chuck roast.

Smoked Burnt Ends

🛒Smoked Chuck Roast | Using the roast you just smoked.

🛒Butter | If you are sensitive to salt, grab the unsalted variety.

🛒Brown Sugar | Either light or dark will work. The dark has more molasses in it so it will be a darker and more richer flavor.

🛒BBQ Sauce | Use whichever variety of barbecue sauce you like for this. Choose your favorite homemade or jarred version. You won’t be using a ton but make sure you love the flavor.

🛒Honey | This makes it sticky and gooey but is optional, if you want to leave it out.

🛒Soy Sauce | The soy sauce will give it a little bit of a punch that will offset the sweetness.

⏲️ Equipment and Tools

✅Smoker | We cranked up our Big Green Egg for this one, but this recipe works the same if you have a Traeger, Char Broil, Camp Chef, Masterbuilt, or Weber. It is really flexible.

✅Smoking Wood Chips or Chunks | Use your favorite wood chips. I prefer milder flavors like apple, oak, or pecan, but this is a great recipe to go for something more robust like hickory or mesquite.

✅Internal Thermometer | Make sure that you keep an eye on the temperatures as you don’t want to pull this too soon and the probe also helps you gauge when you have reached the magic 205 degree mark. We love using wireless thermometers but if you have a regular meat version, that works great too as long as it can reach 205 for the burnt ends.

✅Disposable Aluminum Pan | These 8×8 pans are perfect when cooking the burnt ends. You won’t want to use anything in your kitchen as this is going to get messy and nasty for cleanup.

✅Pink Butcher’s Paper | I buy a large roll of this and keep on hand for wrapping meats on the grill.

🔥 Instructions

Smoke The Chuck Roast

👉Step 1: Heat up the smoker to 250-275°F. Add in your favorite wood chunks or chips.

👉Step 2: Sprinkle a generous amount of your favorite BBQ rub on the chuck roast. Place it on the smoker and close the lid.

👉Step 3: Let it smoke for about 3 hours before you check on it. Every time you open the lid, the temperature drops and it will take longer, so be patient!

Note: While I do include times in the recipe, you should shoot for the temperatures instead of the time. I have had roasts cook much more quickly, and much more slowly. It is the temperatures that should drive this recipe.

👉Step 4: If the outside of the roast is getting dry and hard-looking, spray it with some apple cider vinegar. Ours was nice and juicy.

👉Step 5: Once the roast has developed a bark (which should be when the meat reaches 165-170°F), wrap it up in pink butcher’s paper and put it back on the smoker. Don’t change the temperature of the smoker and let it continue to cook until it reaches 195°F.

👉Step 6: Remove the wrapped roast and allow it to rest for 15 minutes.

Note: This recipe is similar to my usual smoked chuck roast. The main difference is this time, I used a 3-pound roast and not a 5-pound one. Because of this, it can be smoked at a slightly higher temperature 250-275°F, and it takes less time to cook. The 5-pound chuck roast was smoked at 225°F so if you buy the larger piece, use this temperature instead. Also, for this smaller roast, I used the Texas Crutch method, wrapping the meat in pink butcher paper after the bark is formed, so it cooks faster without drying out. This can be done for the large roast too, but it is optional. That one is smoked at a lower temperature so the chance of the exterior drying out is lower.

Make The Burnt Ends

👉Step 1: Cut the chuck roast into 1-inch pieces and place them in the aluminum pan.

👉Step 2: Mix the brown sugar, soy sauce, honey, and BBQ sauce. Pour enough BBQ sauce to coat (but not to make the meat swim in sauce). Start with ¼ to ⅓ cup of sauce. Add the butter, stir to combine it all, and cover with foil.

👉Step 3: Place the aluminum pan in the smoker and cook until the internal temperature of the meat reaches 205°F. Make sure to use a meat thermometer to check the internal temps. This time can vary from 50 minutes to 120 minutes. Stir it occasionally to make sure the meat remains evenly coated.

👉Step 4: Serve hot.

❗ Recipe Tips and Tricks

💡Make It Faster | If you are short on time, cut the chuck roast up into one inch squares and place them on a baking sheet with a baking rack on it. This technique will cut down the smoking time considerably and allow you to get to the making the sticky sauce portion of the burnt ends much faster.

💡Be Careful With The Sauce | Don’t put in too much sauce as it will stay soupy.

💡Similar-sized Pieces | Make sure to cut the pieces around the same size so they cook uniformly.

🍱 Storage and Reheating

If there are any left after you smoke these bad boys, store the leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 3 days (that won’t happen!) in an airtight container.

Reheat in the microwave in 30-second intervals as there is a lot of sugar in the sauce and it can easily splatter when it gets too hot in the microwave. Make sure to cover it for easy cleanup.

🔁 Additions and Substitutions

Additions

For the sauce, add in beer, cola, Worcestershire sauce or a few splashes of hot sauce. This is always fun to customize based on your family’s taste preferences.

I will note that the Worcestershire sauce is one of my favorite add-ins. It really helps the sauce develop a deep flavor profile and makes this extremely rich and tasty.

Substitutions

⚡Meat | This same concept can be used with smoked brisket and smoked pork belly.

⚡Sauce | The possibilities are endless here. Use a tangy Dr Pepper sauce, a savory bacon BBQ sauce, or a multi-layered rich smoked Bourbon BBQ sauce. Any of these will give you off-the-charts burnt ends but never discount a good jarred sauce like Stubbs or Sweet Baby Ray’s, especially when time is of the essence.

⚡Rubs | Choose a rub that you love or feel free to start testing some out. Homemade rubs can’t be beat and they are made in minutes.

We used the same homemade rub we usually use to season smoked chuck roast but I also enjoy the all-purpose rub, the beef rib rub, and the pulled pork rub, as options that go well with pretty much any meat.

It’s easy to customize the rub with common spices, seasonings, and herbs like celery seed, smoked paprika, kosher salt, black pepper, garlic salt, and red chili pepper flakes.

⚡Smoking Wood | Like I said, you have a lot of smoking wood choices for chuck roast. When I smoke it for burnt ends, I usually choose milder wood like apple or cherry. However, hardwoods that give a more intense smoke flavor such as mesquite and hickory, work well for beef too.

Check out our free smoking wood chart to see more options. You can even create some unique blends. If you do, I am curious to hear how they change up this recipe, so let me know in the comments!

🍽️ What to Serve with Burnt Ends

These smoked chuck roast burnt ends are amazing to serve as a main, as a snack while watching movies, or as a special treat for a game day.

Paired With Other Snacks & Appetizers

⭐Smoked Hot Dogs – These are perfect if you are using a pellet smoker. You can add a lot of them to the smoker rack at the same time and quickly serve a lot people. Don’t forget all of the toppings!

⭐Smoked Chicken Wings – These never last long. As soon as they come off the smoker, your friends will snag them.

⭐Smoked Chili – I absolutely love this recipe. It is extremely easy to make extra large batches and serve your friends at the tailgate.

⭐Smoked Brisket and Beer Queso – Everyone loves this hearty snack. Make the brisket ahead of time and it is easy to combine and smoke when needed.

Block Party, BBQ, or Cookout

Grab all your favorite BBQ sides for a feast to remember!

⭐Classic BBQ Sides | Smoked mac and cheese, grilled Bourbon peach baked beans, and grilled corn in the husk will make your guests happy and give you more time to spent with them. These are the kind of dishes you can scale up without too much effort.

⭐Potato Sides | The humble potato turns into a superstar once you throw it on the grill or in the smoker. Make this smoked potato salad one day ahead and let it sit in the fridge for it to develop an even more intense smoked flavor.

We also love smoked fingerling potatoes with garlic butter for an even simpler dish that always seems to dissapear in no time. And when you’re in a rush, the cheesy grilled potato skins, and grilled baby potato kabobs will save the day!

⭐Veggie Sides | Chuck roast burnt ends are definitely a rich and tasty treat. Pair it with some veggies for a lighter and more nutritious meal.

Of course, if you grill or smoke the vegetables, you will get plenty of flavor despite the lower calories. Simple dishes like grilled sweet onions, smoked asparagus bundles, grilled Brussels sprouts kebabs, grilled carrots with balsamic glaze, and grilled honey acorn squash are excellent options to serve with the finger-licking burnt ends.

⭐Breads | Some nice fresh bread is the perfect food to clean all that sticky sauce off your plate. Baguettes, ciabatta, or any fresh loaf of Artisan bread will make an unpretentious but very delectable side for your poor man’s burnt ends.

Don’t have a bakery nearby or you’d rather make your own bread? This Dutch-oven no-knead bread is easier than you can imagine! You can also make some soft pretzel bites or homemade breadsticks just as easily.

♨️ More Burnt Ends Recipes

Chuck roast is an excellent cut for making burnt ends, but this popular dish has developed into other exciting variations.

⭐We love the simplicity of hot dog burnt ends. It’s super easy to smoke hot dogs and A LOT faster than brisket or chuck roast. They’re a fun and easy treat that won’t leave you hanging around the smoker for too long!

⭐Smoked Bologna burnt ends is another family favorite. Don’t get me wrong: a smoked whole Bologna chub will make the most fantastic sandwiches but turning it into burnt ends won’t make you have any regrets.

❓ Recipe FAQ

Related Recipes

Tried this recipe? Please leave a star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating in the recipe card below and/or a review in the comments section further down the page. You can also stay in touch with me through social media by following me on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook!