Brisket burnt ends with no sauce

[Jazzzman]

Hi everyone:

I'll be smoking a brisket soon, and plan to make burnt ends from the point. I'd like to make them without any BBQ sauce. I want them to be tender and juicy. Any suggestions, tips, recipes?

 

[LOW_IN_SLO]

Is it that you don't want to use store bought BBQ sauce or are you not wanting to put any sauce on them at all?
Recommend reserving 3 Tbsp of the dry rub you use for the brisket. 2 Tbsp for a spritz during the cook, and 1 Tbsp mix with a 1 Tbsp of brown sugar. Cube your burnt ends when done with your cook and either sprinkle/toss burnt ends with the dry rub and brown sugar OR mix the rub and brown sugar with several Tbsps of butter and then toss with burnt ends. Throw back on the smoker for another hour or two to get them barked up.

Or, make your own bbq sauce out of brisket fat trimmings, vinegar, ketchup, few Tbsp of your dry rub, butter, brown sugar, fresh lemon, garlic and onion, let simmer/render; toss cubes in that and back on smoker for couple hours.

 

[Jazzzman]

Hi everyone:

I'll be smoking a brisket soon, and plan to make burnt ends from the point. I'd like to make them without any BBQ sauce. I want them to be tender and juicy. Any suggestions, tips, recipes?

Is it that you don't want to use store bought BBQ sauce or are you not wanting to put any sauce on them at all?
Recommend reserving 3 Tbsp of the dry rub you use for the brisket. 2 Tbsp for a spritz during the cook, and 1 Tbsp mix with a 1 Tbsp of brown sugar. Cube your burnt ends when done with your cook and either sprinkle/toss burnt ends with the dry rub and brown sugar OR mix the rub and brown sugar with several Tbsps of butter and then toss with burnt ends. Throw back on the smoker for another hour or two to get them barked up.

Or, make your own bbq sauce out of brisket fat trimmings, vinegar, ketchup, few Tbsp of your dry rub, butter, brown sugar, fresh lemon, garlic and onion, let simmer/render; toss cubes in that and back on smoker for couple hours.

Hey thanks for the great reply! I will probably do exactly as you suggest.
I feel that BBQ sauce overpowers the taste of the meat. I had sauceless burnt ends at a competition once, and want to make them like that. People can always add sauce. I'm kinda a purist, I guess. I work hard on the meat and don't want to cover up the flavor.
I may try some with the homemade BBQ sauce you describe though. I've doctored up BBQ sauce but never made my own. If it's made by me, from scratch, it might not offend my purist tendencies as much lol.

 

[02ebz06]

After cubing the point, I have just put a tablespoon or so of sauce, and toss to give a very light coat.
Doesn't over power.

 

[LOW_IN_SLO]

Hey thanks for the great reply! I will probably do exactly as you suggest.
I feel that BBQ sauce overpowers the taste of the meat. I had sauceless burnt ends at a competition once, and want to make them like that. People can always add sauce. I'm kinda a purist, I guess. I work hard on the meat and don't want to cover up the flavor.
I may try some with the homemade BBQ sauce you describe though. I've doctored up BBQ sauce but never made my own. If it's made by me, from scratch, it might not offend my purist tendencies as much lol.

You're correct. Traditional bbq and therefore brisket should be able to stand alone without sauce. Sauce is an optional condiment per se. In the case of burnt ends, the light toss in butter/beef tallow with rub or light sauce seasoned with rub is to be able to put them back on the smoker and have that bark 360 degrees over each cube. The sauce recipe given above is a pretty basic traditional Texas bbq sauce. Good luck with your cook, looking forward to your results!

 

[bill1]

You can make half with sauce, half without. By seeing which go first, you kinda' get a popular vote that way as well for next time.