Budget Baked Burnt Ends Recipe: Kansas City Cuisine Gets a Budget Makeover Beef Dinner Budget Recipes

Burnt ends. How can I describe these tender, crispy, juicy chunks of joy? I discovered burnt ends when I visited Kansas City with a friend years ago. Barbecue joints were on every corner, and burnt ends were on every menu. At home, the only way to get burnt ends was at a barbecue cookoff or by making them. I was in burnt end heaven. 

Burnt ends are usually made with brisket and smoked for long periods of time. After the brisket is super tender, it's cut into cubes, coated in barbecue sauce and cooked longer to crisp up the meat. This oven-baked burnt ends recipe not only cuts out of the step of preparing and using a smoker, but reduces cooking time and the expense of buying a brisket. 

A chuck roast is cooked for about three hours after being rubbed with a homemade spice blend. The roast is cut into cubes, coated with sauce and butter, and cooked about 30 minutes longer. The result is an amazing burnt ends recipe that can be made any day of the week. You'll only need 2 tablespoons of the spice blend, so save the rest in an airtight container to use in another recipe.

Serve these burnt ends with cole slaw, potato salad, macaroni salad, baked beans, cornbread or your favorite side dishes. You can also make a burnt ends sandwich. Top the sandwich with some homemade cole slaw and you're in business. (Is your mouth watering yet?)

Because I'm predicting that the Kansas City Chiefs will go to the Super Bowl™ this year, you can bet these burnt ends will be served at my get-together with my favorite cornbread recipe, my grandma's cole slaw and meat beans. 

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 3 1/2 hours (ovens vary)
Total Time: 3 hours and 45 minutes
Servings: 12+

Ingredients

Spice Rub

• 1 tablespoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon dried mustard
• 1 teaspoon coarse black pepper
• 1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt
• 1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper

Meat

• 1 chuck roast (about 3 pounds)
• 2 tablespoons of the spice rub
• 2 cups barbecue sauce 
• 1 stick (8 tablespoons) butter, cut into pieces

Here's how to make it: 

1. Combine all the spice rub ingredients. 
2. Rub the chuck roast all over with 2 tablespoons of the spice blend. Put the roast into a roasting pan. 
3. Bake in a preheated 275-degree F oven for about 3 hours. 
4. Remove the roast from the oven and cut it into 1-inch cubes. Put the cubes into a bowl and add the barbecue sauce. Toss to completely coat the meat. Put the meat onto a baking sheet in a single layer. Top with the butter pieces. 
5. Increase the oven temperature to 450-degrees F. Bake the meat for another 30 minutes or until meat is very browned and edges slightly crunchy. (Stir the meat halfway through.)

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