History

Burnt ends started as the brisket scraps Arthur Bryant gave away at the counter on Brooklyn Avenue. Calvin Trillin's 1974 Playboy essay declaring Bryant's the single best restaurant in the world made Kansas City barbecue national news; the burnt ends became the proof-of-concept dish. Today every Kansas City BBQ joint offers them, made from the brisket point alone, sliced or cubed, with sauce on the side or worked into the bark.

Make it at home

Yield Serves 6 to 8Hands-on 2 hrTotal 14 hrDifficulty Advanced

Ingredients

  • 1 whole packer brisket, 10 to 12 lb
  • 1/2 cup kosher salt
  • 1/2 cup coarse black pepper
  • 1/4 cup paprika
  • 2 tbsp garlic powder
  • 2 tbsp onion powder
  • 1 tbsp cayenne
  • 1 cup Kansas City-style barbecue sauce
  • 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
  • Hickory or oak wood chunks for the smoker

Method

  1. Trim the brisket fat cap to about 1/4 inch and separate the point from the flat by following the fat seam.
  2. Mix all the dry rub ingredients. Coat the brisket point heavily on every side; refrigerate for 12 hours.
  3. Set up a smoker at 225F (107C) with hickory or oak. Place the brisket point fat-cap up.
  4. Smoke for 8 to 10 hours, until the bark is dark and the internal temperature hits 195F (90C).
  5. Rest the point for one hour wrapped in butcher paper. Cut into 1.5-inch cubes.
  6. Toss the cubes with barbecue sauce and a splash of cider vinegar, return them to the smoker for 60 to 90 minutes until the bark hardens.
  7. Serve on white bread with pickles and the sauce on the side.

Tip from the editors. Use only the brisket point; the flat is too lean and dries out. Hickory and oak give the canonical KC bark; mesquite is too aggressive.

This is the TableJourney editorial recipe, modelled on the canonical bistro / counter version. The first place to try the dish in its city of origin is below.

Where to eat burnt ends

Burnt ends in Kansas City

Arthur Bryant's Barbeque ★ 4.7

BBQ$$18th-and-vine

Arthur Bryant's on Brooklyn Avenue in Kansas City is the canonical BBQ address, with roots back to Henry Perry's 1908 pit and the Bryant family's takeover at the Brooklyn Avenue location in 1958.

Signature: Burnt ends, Beef brisket sandwich, Pork ribs

Order: Burnt ends sandwich on Wonder Bread with the rust-coloured original sauce.

Tip: Open Monday through Friday 10:00 to 20:00, Saturday 11:00 to 20:00, Sunday 11:00 to 19:00. Cash and card; sauce sold by the bottle.

1727 Brooklyn Avenue, Kansas City, MO 64127 Book →

Joe's Kansas City Bar-B-Que ★ 4.8

BBQ$$kck

Joe's Kansas City Bar-B-Que runs out of a working Shamrock gas station at 47th and Mission in Kansas City, Kansas, where the Stehneys opened in 1996 and invented the Z-Man sandwich.

Signature: Z-Man sandwich, Burnt ends, Carolina pulled pork

Order: The Z-Man sandwich, slow-smoked brisket with provolone, onion rings and barbecue sauce on a kaiser roll.

Tip: Open Monday through Saturday, closed Sunday. Walk-in only and the line moves; lunch sells out by 14:00 on weekends.

3002 West 47th Ave, Kansas City, KS 66103 Book →

Q39 Midtown ★ 4.5

BBQ$$midtown

Rob Magee's Q39 on 39th Street in Kansas City applies a competition-circuit pitmaster's discipline to weeknight barbecue, with a full bar and table service.

Signature: Burnt ends, Pit Master Brisket sandwich, Mr. Burns sandwich

Order: Pit Master Brisket sandwich on a brioche bun and the burnt-ends plate to share.

Tip: Sun to Thu 11:00 to 21:00, Fri and Sat 11:00 to 23:00. Walk-ins and reservations both accepted; the brisket plate sells out late.

1000 W 39th St, Kansas City, MO 64111 Book →

Fiorella's Jack Stack Barbecue Freight House ★ 4.6

BBQ$$$crossroads

Jack Stack's Freight House in Kansas City's Crossroads serves Russ Fiorella's family barbecue under 25-foot ceilings inside a converted railroad warehouse.

Signature: Burnt ends, Hickory pit beans, Lamb ribs

Order: Burnt ends, lamb ribs and the famous hickory pit beans baked with sausage.

Tip: Reservations on OpenTable; the bar takes walk-ins from 17:00. Five metro locations including the Plaza and Martin City original.

101 W 22nd St, Kansas City, MO 64108 Book →

Slap's BBQ ★ 4.7

BBQ$$kck

Slap's BBQ on Central Avenue in Kansas City Kansas runs a competition-pitmaster operation since 2014 and sells out daily by mid-afternoon, ribs first.

Signature: Burnt ends, Pork ribs, Brisket

Order: Burnt ends and pork ribs at the counter; grab them before the kitchen sells out.

Tip: Open Tue to Sat 11:00 to 19:00, often closed earlier if meat runs out. Walk-in only.

553 Central Ave, Kansas City, KS 66101 Book →

More cities are in research. Want burnt ends covered somewhere specific? Tell us where you want to eat.

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