Poor Mans Burnt Ends
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Poor Mans Burnt Ends are a quick way to enjoy deliciously smoked juicy bites of beef – without an overnight smoke! A chuck roast turns into smoky tender pieces that melt in your mouth!
What You Will ❤️ About Poor Mans Burnt Ends
- Melt In Your Mouth – these bites will literally melt when you eat them!
- More Affordable – a chuck roast isn’t exactly cheap – but it’s a lot less than a whole brisket
- Time Savings – brisket can take 15-24 hours but this is just a 4-5 hour cook!
Ingredients for Poor Man’s Burnt Ends recipe
Burnt Ends are traditionally made from the ends of an already smoked Brisket. Poor Mans Burnt Ends uses a chuck roast instead of a brisket so it’s more affordable and then it’s all done in one cook vs. two. Here’s what you’ll need:
- Chuck Roast – you’ll want at least a 3 lb chuck roast
- Canola Oil – this serves as a binder for the seasoning to the meat and adds a little moisture – you could also use yellow mustard if you would like!
- BBQ seasoning – I like Historic BBQ Red seasoning – look for blends with salt, black pepper, garlic powder, paprika and chili powder
- Butter – you can use salted or unsalted butter
- Honey – you could also use brown sugar, molasses or maple syrup
- Bbq sauce – use your favorite barbecue sauce – my favorite is Williamson Bros.
If you’re looking for more things to do with Chuck Roast – there’s this amazing Smoked Chuck Roast or you can make this Dutch Oven Italian Beef!
What kind of meat is used for burnt ends?
Burnt Ends can be traditional or you can have some fun with them – I’ve even seen people use hot dogs to make burnt ends! Here’s some options:
- Brisket Burnt Ends are the traditional way to make burnt ends with a beef brisket
- Pork Butt – you can also use pork to make burnt ends by cooking the butt and then dicing and cooking those “ends” longer – here’s a recipe from Traeger for Pork Butt Burnt Ends to be used in a salad
- Pork Belly – you want a fatty cut of meat and pork belly fits that bill – here’s my recipe for Pork Belly Burnt Ends
- Bologna – heck yeah – why not make burnt ends from a chub of Bologna!
How to make Chuck Roast Burnt Ends on the Traeger
Some folks smoke the chuck roast as a whole piece of meat and then slice into chunks but I decided to smoke the pieces first. The most important thing with smoking is to go by the temperature of the meat and by the taste and feel. Try a piece along the way and its done when YOU love it!
- Cube your chuck roast into 2” size cubes and place in a bowl.
- Lather with canola oil and then season generously with Historic BBQ Seasoning or your favorite BBQ seasoning.
- Place the cubes onto a baking tray with about ½” separation between each cube.
- Preheat Traeger to 250F.
- Place the beef onto the smoker to cook for 1-2 hrs or until internal temperature is 165º. Use an instant read meat thermomer to check the temperature. Be sure to remove the cubes from the smoker and let them rest for a few minutes before testing. They tend to test hotter when they are in the smoker. They’ll begin to soften and develop a good outside bark.
- When cubes are 165º internal temperature, move to an aluminum pan. Top with pats of butter and drizzle honey over the top. Cover with aluminum foil.
- Place tray in the smoker for an hour. Open foil and add BBQ sauce. Replace foil and smoke and additional 1-2 hours until the temperature of the meat reaches internal temp of 205°F degrees and is very tender. Again – remove foil pan from the Traeger before testing temperature.
- When meat reaches 205º internal temperature, remove tray from the smoker. Cover the meat back up and let rest for 30 mins before serving.
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Tips, Tricks & FAQs
Store leftovers in an airtight container (I like these glass ones) in the refrigerator for up to a week. Reheat in the microwave for 1-2 minutes.
If you’re looking for something specific for beef – the best are Hickory, Mesquite & Pecan.
20 Must-Have Traeger Accessories
I absolutely love my Traeger Pellet Grill and you can pretty much use it right out of the box! But over the years I’ve definitely found that there are some Traeger smoker accessories that make everything a lot easier!
More Traeger Appetizer Recipes
Traeger Side Dishes
More Chuck Roast Recipes
Poor Mans Burnt Ends
Ingredients
- 3-4 lb Chuck Roast
- 2 tbsp BBQ seasoning
- 1/4 cup Canola Oil
- 1 stick Butter sliced
- 2 tbsp Honey
- 1/4 cup Bbq sauce
Instructions
- Cube your chuck roast into 2” size cubes and place in a bowl.3-4 lb Chuck Roast
- Lather with canola oil and then season generously with Historic BBQ Seasoning or your favorite BBQ seasoning.2 tbsp BBQ seasoning, 1/4 cup Canola Oil
- Place the cubes onto a baking tray with about ½” separation between each cube.
- Preheat Traeger to 250F.
- Place the beef onto the smoker to cook for 1-2 hrs or until internal temperature is 165º. Use an instant read meat thermomer to check the temperature. Be sure to remove the cubes from the smoker and let them rest for a few minutes before testing. They tend to test hotter when they are in the smoker. They’ll begin to soften and develop a good outside bark.
- When cubes are 165º internal temperature, move to an aluminum pan. Top with pats of butter and drizzle honey over the top. Cover with aluminum foil.1 stick Butter, 2 tbsp Honey
- Place tray in the smoker for an hour. Open foil and add BBQ sauce. Replace foil and smoke and additional 1-2 hours until the temperature of the meat reaches internal temp of 205°F degrees and is very tender. Again – remove foil pan from the Traeger before testing temperature.1/4 cup Bbq sauce
- When meat reaches 205º internal temperature, remove tray from the smoker. Cover the meat back up and let rest for 30 mins before serving.
