Hot Dog Burnt Ends

If you’ve never made or tried burnt ends, I highly recommend them. As great as smoked brisket is, burnt ends are brisket candy. Highly addicting, they are a real treat. But hey, they do take time and brisket isn’t always the cheapest cut. So what to do if you want to feed a crowd of some meat candy without breaking the bank? Yep, you guessed it: hot dog burnt ends. Smoked hot dogs covered in a caramelized sauce, you’ll never eat those little sausage thingies again. Perfect for a party, these goodies will disappear in no time.

Hot Dog Burnt Ends

Easy But With A Big Reward

There’s absolutely nothing challenging about making these hot dog burnt ends. If you don’t have a smoker (I love my Weber smoker!) you can make the entire dish on a grill. You can even use a gas grill. If you do, I recommend you use a smoky BBQ sauce to add a little of that great I-made-these-on-a-smoker even-though-I-didn’t flavor.

Hot Dog Burnt Ends
Print Pin
5 from 1 vote

Hot Dog Burnt Ends

Smoked hot dogs covered in a caramelized sauce, you’ll never eat those little sausage thingies again. Perfect for a party, these goodies will disappear in no time.
Course Appetizer
Cuisine American
Keyword hot dogs, smoked
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 2 hours
Total Time 2 hours 15 minutes
Servings 16
Calories 166kcal
Author Inspired by a recipe from Hey Grill Hey

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Fire up your smoker for 225 F. Use any wood you like, these turn out great whether they are smoked over fruit wood or a stronger wood such as mesquite.
  • Squeeze the mustard over the dogs then brush around all sides. (I found it easier to just spread the mustard with my hands).
  • Sprinkle the rub over all sides of the dogs. Transfer to your smoker and smoke for 1 hour.
  • Meanwhile, fire up your grill for medium heat cooking (or pre-heat your oven to 375 F).
  • Remove dogs and cut into thirds (about 1 1/2″ pieces). Transfer to a disposable pan.
  • Combine the butter, brown sugar and BBQ sauce and pour over the hot dogs. Stir and place on your grill (or in the oven).
  • Cook dogs an addition 30-45 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes, until the hot dogs have begun to caramelize.
  • Remove and let cool slightly before serving.

Nutrition

Calories: 166kcal | Carbohydrates: 15g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 28mg | Sodium: 422mg | Potassium: 94mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 109IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 19mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutritional values are approximate.

Poor Man’s Burnt Ends

Burnt ends are an absolute treat that I only get to enjoy on occasion. They’re normally made from the point of a beef brisket, smoked low-and-slow for hours and hours. But, you can get that same magical tender juicy beefy bite using a much cheaper (poor man’s burnt ends so-to-speak) cut of meat, a chuck roast. The process is the same. Smoke for hours, cut into pieces, add a bit of sauce, and smoke some more. That’s it. Every bite just falls apart. Great by themselves, on a roll as a sandwich, or my favorite, served over cheesy grits.

Poor Man's Burnt Ends

The Sauce Is Important

You do not want to use a heavy, thick BBQ sauce when making poor man’s burnt ends. Use a milder sauce that doesn’t have a lot of sugar or molasses. Less is definitely more. You can always add sauce to them when you serve them.

You can also just smoke a chuck roast as you would any other large piece of meat. Like pork shoulder or butt. It makes for the perfect shredded beef sandwich. Check out my post on smoked chuck roast here.

If I’m reaching for a bottled BBQ sauce, I often go for Sweet Baby Ray’s.

Poor Man's Burnt Ends
Print Pin
5 from 1 vote

Poor Man’s Burnt Ends

Burnt ends are an absolute treat that I only get to enjoy on occasion. They’re normally made from the point of a beef brisket, smoked low-and-slow for hours and hours. But, you can get that same magical tender juicy beefy bite using a much cheaper (poor man’s so-to-speak) cut of meat, a chuck roast. 
Course Main
Cuisine American
Keyword beef, smoked
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 8 hours
Total Time 8 hours 5 minutes
Servings 12
Calories 204kcal

Instructions

  • FIre up your smoker for 225 F cooking. Use a few chunks of hickory or a lighter wood.
  • Season the chuck on all sides with the rub and place onto the smoker.
  • Smoke until the internal temperature reaches 185 F.
  • Carefully remove the chuck and wrap in foil. Let rest on your counter for 30 minutes.
  • Remove the chuck roast from the foil and transfer to a cutting board.
  • Cut into 3/4″ cubes and place into a disposable aluminum pan.
  • Lightly (very lightly!) drizzle the meat with the BBQ sauce. You just want the flavor from the sauce. Toss gently to coat.
  • Sprinkle with more of the rub and return to the smoker for 1 1/2 more hours.
  • Devour.

Nutrition

Calories: 204kcal | Protein: 22g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 78mg | Sodium: 92mg | Potassium: 376mg | Vitamin A: 15IU | Calcium: 19mg | Iron: 2mg

Nutritional values are approximate.