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.
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Make it at home
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
- Trim the brisket fat cap to about 1/4 inch and separate the point from the flat by following the fat seam.
- Mix all the dry rub ingredients. Coat the brisket point heavily on every side; refrigerate for 12 hours.
- Set up a smoker at 225F (107C) with hickory or oak. Place the brisket point fat-cap up.
- Smoke for 8 to 10 hours, until the bark is dark and the internal temperature hits 195F (90C).
- Rest the point for one hour wrapped in butcher paper. Cut into 1.5-inch cubes.
- 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.
- 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.
Where to eat burnt ends
Burnt ends in Kansas City
Arthur Bryant's Barbeque ★ 4.7
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.
OrderBurnt ends sandwich on Wonder Bread with the rust-coloured original sauce.
TipOpen Monday through Friday 10:00-20:00, Saturday 11:00-20:00, Sunday 11:00-19:00. Cash and card; sauce sold by the bottle.
Joe's Kansas City Bar-B-Que ★ 4.8
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.
OrderThe Z-Man sandwich, slow-smoked brisket with provolone, onion rings and barbecue sauce on a kaiser roll.
TipOpen Monday through Saturday, closed Sunday. Walk-in only and the line moves; lunch sells out by 14:00 on weekends.
Q39 Midtown ★ 4.5
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.
OrderPit Master Brisket sandwich on a brioche bun and the burnt-ends plate to share.
TipSun to Thu 11:00-21:00, Fri and Sat 11:00-23:00. Walk-ins and reservations both accepted; the brisket plate sells out late.
Fiorella's Jack Stack Barbecue Freight House ★ 4.6
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.
OrderBurnt ends, lamb ribs and the famous hickory pit beans baked with sausage.
TipReservations on OpenTable; the bar takes walk-ins from 17:00. Five metro locations including the Plaza and Martin City original.
Slap's BBQ ★ 4.7
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.
OrderBurnt ends and pork ribs at the counter; grab them before the kitchen sells out.
TipOpen Tue to Sat 11:00-19:00, often closed earlier if meat runs out. Walk-in only.
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