Poor Man's Burnt Ends

Cubes of beefy Chuck roast, seasoned, smoked slowly and sauced for a cheaper version of burnt ends.

Course Appetizer

Cuisine American

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 6

Total Time 6 20

Servings

Calories 798kcal

Author Joe Clements

Ingredients

5 lbs Chuck roast
Beef Rub see below for ingredient quantities to make your own beef rub. Aim for 1-1.5 tbsp per pound of chuck.
3 tbsp butter unsalted
3 tbsp honey see note 1 for more wrap ideas
¼ cup Sweet BBQ Sauce Or use our homemade bbq sauce recipe
Beef broth and water equal quantities for spritzing

Beef Rub

1.5 tbsp kosher salt
2 tbsp black pepper
1.5 tbsp granulated garlic or garlic powder
1 tbsp onion powder
1 tbsp smoked paprika

Instructions

Preheat your smoker to 250°F using your favorite smoking wood such as apple, oak, or hickory.
Slice the chuck roast into 1.5–2 inch cubes. Smaller cubes tend to dry out faster. Keep the pieces as even as possible for consistent cooking, but don’t worry if a few end up irregular.
Season the cubes generously on all sides. Use our beef rub recipe, a basic SPG rub or layer in your favorite BBQ rub.
Arrange the cubes evenly on the smoker grate or a wire rack with a little space around each piece so the smoke can circulate. Close the lid and let them smoke undisturbed for 1 hour.
After the first hour, spritz the cubes with a 50/50 mix of beef broth and water. Continue spritzing every 30–45 minutes or whenever the meat starts to look dry.
Smoke the cubes for about 3 hours total, until the bark has set and they are dark and crusty. Internal temperature will usually be between 150–175°F at this point.
Transfer the cubes into a foil pan (or double wrap them in heavy-duty foil). Add a few pads of unsalted butter and a drizzle of honey then cover tightly. To speed things up, you can raise the smoker temperature to 300°F at this stage.
Return the pan to the smoker and cook for another 2 hours, until the cubes are 200–205°F internal and probe tender. A thermometer should slide in with little resistance, and the cubes should feel soft but not fall apart.
Remove the cover, stir in your favorite BBQ sauce, and return the pan to the smoker uncovered for 20–30 minutes. This allows the sauce to reduce slightly and become tacky on the meat.
Serve the burnt ends hot either piled onto a platter with the pan juices poured over the top, or in sandwiches with coleslaw and an extra drizzle of sauce.

Video

Notes

1. What to included in the wrap:

Butter + honey: Bark stays better; adds richness without flooding liquid.
50:50 BBQ sauce + beef broth: Beefier, moister; bark softens a bit.
BBQ Sauce + Brown Sugar: Too sweet for some, adding sauce earlier does save a little time at the end

2. Update in 2025: This recipe originally called for cutting the chuck roast into 1" cubes. After further testing, I found that about 1.5–2" chunks give better results. The extra size helps keep the meat juicy through the long cook, while still giving you plenty of bark and surface area for seasoning. Smaller cubes tend to dry out more quickly, especially during the final stage.

Nutrition