Beef burnt ends are often called 'Poor Man's Burnt Ends' and are not burnt, despite their name. They have a scrumptious dark crust that makes them look burnt. Classic burnt ends are made from brisket which these days can be quite costly. I actually prefer using a beef chuck roast because it's packed full of flavour and doesnt take as long. My beef burnt ends are crispy, saucy, sticky and super tender morsels of goodness. The secret is allowing time! Dont attempt this recipe if you're time poor because I focus on temp with these burnt ends, not time. What I can tell you is that you'll needs at least 6 to 8 hours to achieve melt in the mouth burnt ends from start to finish. I cook these on weekends or holidays not during the week when my day job keeps me quite busy and I dont have that many hours spare.
For this recipe, I used a beef chuck roast from Ashburton Meats, a Pro Smoke BBQ Kettle from Barbeques Galore and a mix of briquettes and lump charcoal fuel from Firebrand BBQ. I love using that charcoal from Firebrand BBQ Charcoal because it burns long, clean and hot.
Hope you love this recipe as much as I do. Be sure to tag me on socials when you make these. I'd love to check them out! Love, Irene XO
Ingredients
1 x 2kg (2.2 pounds) Beef Chuck Roast
2 tbsp olive oil
3 tbsp garlic powder
2 tbsp sea salt
2 tbsp pepper
1 tbsp ground sweet paprika
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 tbsp of cold butter, diced
1 cup of your favourite barbeque sauce. I like Blues Hog Original Sauce from Barbeques Galore.
Spritzing mixture: 1/2 cup of apple cider vinegar and 1/2 cup of water in a spray bottle
Method
1. Remove the beef from the refrigerator 30 - 45 minutes prior to cooking. This allows the beef to come to room temperature.
2. To prepare the roast beef rub - combine the garlic powder, sea salt, pepper, sweet paprika and cumin in a small bowl and set aside until needed.
3. Prepare the BBQ for indirect cooking (charcoal on one side) and heat to 400f (200c), with the lid on and ensure the top/bottom vents are open. Start by filling one charcoal chimney and add more if needed throughout the cook if the temperature starts to drop. If you want to add a smokey flavour to the beef, you can add wood chunks to the charcoal. I recommend cherry or oak for flavour and they're not overpowering or mesquite if you'd like your beef with an intense and stronger taste. Place a foil tray filled with 2 cups of beef stock opposite to the charcoal. Then sit the grillgrate on top.
4. Coat the beef with olive oil and season it with the beef rub.
5. Place the beef on the grillgrate (above the foil tray), on the indirect side of the BBQ and cook it for 1.5 hours or until the internal temperature reaches 165f (74c). This is when you have the opportunity to create a delicious bark and when the crispy part of the burnt ends starts it's magic. Make sure you spritz the beef every 30 minutes to help keep the texture of the beef moist.
6. Remove the beef from the BBQ and prepare two layers of foil. Place the beef on the foil and add the cold butter on top. Then wrap the beef tightly with the foil. Prior to adding the wrapped beef back into the BBQ, check if you need to top up the charcoal. If so, light the additional charcoal before adding it to the BBQ. Continue to cook the beef until the internal temperature reaches 195f (90c). This will take around 4 hours.
7. When the beef reaches the ideal internal temperature, remove it from the BBQ and allow it to rest for 20 minutes. Then unwrap the beef and slice it into 1 - 2 inch chunky cubes and put them into a foil tray. Coat the cubes with the your choice of barbeque sauce. I like to use Blues Hog Original Sauce from Barbeques Galore for these burnt ends.
8. Place the foil tray on the indirect side of the BBQ, with the lid closed. Continue to cook the beef for an additional 1 hour or until the meat is well coated, the chunky cubes are tender and probing the pieces with a thermometer gives you a reading of 203f - 205f (95-96c).
9. Remove the tray from the BBQ, toss the beef in the sauce and serve immediately. There's no need to rest burnt ends.
TIPS -
- Allow the beef to reach room temperature before cooking. The beef will cook more evenly if it's at room temperature.
- Start with enough charcoal to match the amount of beef you're cooking. In this instance, I am using 2kg (2.2 pounds) of beef and use 2 kg (2.2 pounds) of charcoal (mix of briquettes and lump). I add more if needed midway through the cook.
- Make sure you wrap the beef when it reaches 165f (74c) with the cold butter (not margarine). It will cook faster when wrapped and will be moist and flavoursome with the added butter.
- If you feel you need to add more barbeque sauce towards the end of the cook, do so. Burnt ends need to be saucy, sticky and finger lickin' good!
- If you're cooking these for an event, up to step 5 can be prepared beforehand and refrigerated. Then continue from step 7 the day you want to serve them.
