The crusted, caramelised tips of a beef brisket point, smoked low for 15 hours, hand-cubed and sometimes returned to the smoker. Sweet, smoky, fatty, the defining Kansas City barbecue plate.

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.

Where to eat Burnt ends in Kansas City

5 editor picks for Burnt ends in Kansas City, ranked by editorial score. All Kansas City signature dishes · Burnt ends across every city.

  • Joe's Kansas City Bar-B-Que

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

    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.

    DetailsBookDirections

  • Arthur Bryant's Barbeque

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

    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.

    DetailsBookDirections

  • Slap's BBQ

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

    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.

    DetailsBookDirections

  • Fiorella's Jack Stack Barbecue Freight House

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

    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.

    DetailsBookDirections

  • Q39 Midtown

    • ★ 4.5
    • $$
    • Midtown

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

    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.

    DetailsBookDirections

Make it at home

Serves 614 hrAdvanced

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.

Editor tip. 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.