Kansas City Burnt Ends | Cooking the states (Kansas)

Kansas City Burnt Ends might just be the best bite in the entire American Barbecue multiverse. I know it’s a bold statement, but it’s true. Nothing against Texas, those boys know how to ‘que, too. Anyways, it’s not all tornados and plains down in Kansas. The Sunflower State has so much more to offer.

Kansas City made it's name on the American BBQ scene with one product that is now a household name... the Kansas City Burnt End. What started off as a freebie giveaway to the lucky few waiting in line for their "real meal" has become a specialty that has transcended the Sunflower State (and Missouri) to the farthest reaches of the United States; it's not uncommon to see Burnt Ends on the menu at BBQ joints no matter what part of the country you're in.

Today Burnt Ends are mostly made form the point end of a beef brisket. There are a few ways to get it done, but a popular method is to remove the point meat, smoke it until just barely tender, cube it, toss with a Kansas City-style BBQ sauce, then finish for an hour more. The sauce sticks to the beef leaving perfectly tacky, juicy and charred bites - what many consider to be the best single bite in American 'que.

I live in Chicago, but went to school at the University of Kansas. I miss Burnt Ends so much that I decided to have a whack at making them myself. I went out, bought a smoker and talked to some of the best pit masters in the country. What's left... well... is the recipe below. I hope you like it. Let me know if you have any questions. Big thanks to Jeremy Yoder and Charles Wong for the knowledge. 🤘🏻Adam

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Kansas City Burnt Ends (+ Sauce & Rub)

Ingredients

K.C.B.B.Q. Rub (Makes about 1 cup)

• 3 Tbsp Whole Black Peppercorns, ground
• 1 Whole Star Anise, ground
• 1 Whole Mace Pod, ground
• 1 Tbsp Celery Seed, ground
• 3 Tbsp Garlic Powder
• 2 Tbsp Onion Powder
• 1 tsp Mustard Powder
• 1/3 cup Paprika

K.C.B.B.Q. Sauce

• 1 Tbsp Neutral Oil
• 1/2 Yellow Onion, diced
• 4 Garlic cloves, roughly chopped
• 1-inch knob Ginger, roughly chopped
• 2 Tbsp Smoked Paprika
• 1 tsp Chipotle Pepper
• 1/2 tsp MSG
• 1 cup Ketchup
• 3 Tbsp Brown Sugar
• 2 Tbsp Molasses
• 2 Tbsp Dark Soy Sauce
• 1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 3 Tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar, more to taste
• 2 cup Beef or Pork Stock
• Black Pepper, to taste
• Kosher Salt, to taste
• 1/4 - 1/2 tsp Xanthan Gum

Kansas City Burnt Ends

• 12-15 pound Full Brisket, trimmed
• K.C.B.B.Q. Sauce, as needed (see recipe above)
• K.C.B.B.Q. Rub, as needed (see recipe above)
• 1 cup Apple Cider Vinegar
• 1 cup Water

Instructions

K.C.B.B.Q. Rub

1. Mix all ingredients together. Store in resealable container

K.C.B.B.Q. Sauce

1. Add the oil to a dutch oven and bring up to medium heat. Add the onion, garlic and ginger, season with salt, and sweat for 5 minutes, until the veg has softened.
2. Stir in the smoked paprika, chipotle pepper, and MSG. Coat the vegetables with the dried spices and cook for 1 minute. Pour in the ketchup, brown sugar, molasses, dark soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, apple cider vinegar and stock. Season with kosher salt and black pepper then stir until combined. Let the stewy mixture simmer until reduced by roughly a third. Taste and adjust seasoning and acidity if needed.
3. Transfer the mixture to a blender and blitz until a smooth sauce forms. If using, with the motor running, add in the Xanthan gum and puree for 30 more seconds on high.
4. Let the mixture cool before transferring it to a sealable container and refrigerating. Sauce will stay good for a week or so in the fridge or for up to 3 in the freezer.

Kansas City Burnt Ends

1. Trim the whole packer brisket until you have roughly a quarter inch thick fat layer all around the brisket. Make gentle cuts to remove any part of the brisket thinner than your thumb. There should be no jagged edges.
2. Season the point liberally with salt and K.C.B.B.Q. Rub. Hot smoke the brisket at 225-250F for 3 hours. At the 3 hour mark, mix the vinegar and water in a spray bottle and spray the meat on the brisket. Repeat this process every 30 minutes until the internal temperature of the brisket point registers at 180F and the fat has rendered.
3. Lay a couple sheets of butcher paper out on a table, drizzle with 1/2 - 1 cup reserved beef tallow then place the brisket on top. Wrap the brisket in butcher paper to a snug fit, place on top of a sheet tray then bring the whole thing inside.
4. Preheat the oven to 300F. Shove a probe thermometer into the point and/or flat then continue cooking until the point reads an internal temperature or 200-205F.
5. Remove the brisket from the oven and let rest in a warmed cooler until the meat comes to an internal temperature of 150F, or up to 12 hours.
6. Use a long, sharp knife to slice the point and flat from one another, set the flat aside then cut the point into 1x1 inch cubes. Place the cubes into a disposable tin half pan, sprinkle over two tablespoons of K.C.B.B.Q. Rub then toss the meat to coat. Pour over enough K.C.B.B.Q. Sauce just to coat the meat then toss the meat to coat followed by two tablespoons of honey. If the meat is swimming in the sauce you’ve gone too far.
7. Place the tray back in the oven uncovered and continue cooking for 30 minutes at 300F, tossing at the 15 minute mark.
8. Remove the burnt ends from the oven and let rest until cool enough to handle. Serve on a slice of white bread with a side of pickles and raw white onion and CRUSH!

Adam's Notes

• Adding the sauce at the very end of the smoking process allows for a caramelized end result with no acrid burnt taste.
• I chose not to add sugar to the rub, otherwise it would blacken and burn very fast leaving an acrid burnt taste.
• The larger the smoker, the higher temperature you need to cook the meat. Small smokers like mine should cook at 225-250F, larger smokers will need to be held at 250-275F.
• Burnt Ends are good served in a lot of ways - on their own, on a sandwich, in mac and cheese, etc. I’m a purist and like them on their own.
• Some people like to remove the point from the flat completely, others like to trim them on together, we’re going to cook the whole brisket as is, then remove the point at the end. Less fuss.
• Make sure to wrap the brisket AFTER it passes the “stall” so that you’re wrapping in the paper with fat and not surface moisture. Rule of thumb: Wrap the brisket AFTER the fat has rendered, around 180F, or until the fat breaks when you push down on it.
• Rest from 2 hours up to 12 hours. The longer the rest, the more tender the final product will be. Rest in a 150F oven or in a cooler if resting longer than an hour.
• Wait until the brisket cools before slicing, or you risk shredding the brisket.

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