American Royal
intro
Tender, caramelized Kansas City-style burnt ends, the signature dish of the iconic American Royal BBQ competition, with sticky sweet-savory glaze and deep smoky flavor.
Ingredients
Steps
First, preheat your offset smoker to 120°C (250°F), adding 250 grams of hickory wood chunks to the fire box to generate steady smoke. Trim the brisket point to leave an even 1cm thick fat cap, then mix 2 tablespoons kosher salt, 1.5 tablespoons coarse black pepper, 1 tablespoon garlic powder, and 1 tablespoon smoked paprika in a small bowl. Rub the entire surface of the brisket evenly with the spice mix, pressing gently to help the seasoning adhere.
Place the seasoned brisket point directly on the middle smoker grate, fat side up, and close the smoker lid. Maintain a consistent internal smoker temperature of 115-125°C (240-260°F) for 4 hours, adding the remaining 250 grams of hickory wood chunks as needed to sustain thin, wispy blue smoke, until the brisket reaches an internal temperature of 79°C (175°F) as measured with a calibrated instant-read thermometer.
Remove the brisket from the smoker and transfer it to a clean cutting board. Let it rest for 10 minutes at room temperature to allow juices to settle, then cut it into uniform 2.5cm (1 inch) cubes, discarding any excessively hard or heavily charred fat pieces. Transfer the cubed brisket to a 23x33cm (9x13 inch) disposable aluminum foil pan.
Sprinkle the 120 grams of packed light brown sugar evenly over the cubed brisket, then dot the top of the cubes with 56 grams of cubed unsalted butter. Drizzle 240 ml of Kansas City-style BBQ sauce and 30 ml of apple cider vinegar over the top, then toss the cubes gently with long metal tongs to coat every piece evenly in the sweet-savory mixture.
Cover the pan tightly with heavy-duty aluminum foil, crimping the edges firmly to create an airtight seal, then return the pan to the middle smoker grate. Maintain the steady 120°C (250°F) smoker temperature for 1 hour 45 minutes, then remove the foil cover and cook for an additional 15 minutes to let the glaze thicken and caramelize, until the cubes are probe-tender and the sauce is bubbly and sticky across the pan.
Remove the pan from the smoker and let the burnt ends rest for 10 minutes at room temperature, allowing the glaze to set and the juices to redistribute through the meat. Give the cubes a final light toss in the remaining pan sauce before serving, with no extra sauce required for serving.
Tips
2.Aim for thin, wispy blue smoke from your smoker rather than thick, billowing white smoke; thick smoke will leave a bitter, ashy aftertaste on the finished burnt ends.
3.If you do not have an offset smoker, you can use a standard charcoal grill set up for indirect heat: place hot coals on one side of the grill, set the meat on the opposite side, add wood chunks to the coals, and hold a steady 120°C (250°F) temperature for the full cook.
OMG y’all, I made these for our neighborhood block party last weekend and they were GONE in 15 minutes flat. I was so nervous about nailing the smoke level since my last brisket attempt turned out tough as shoe leather, but following the temp guide here worked perfectly. The sweet and savory bark? *Chef’s kiss* My husband already asked me to make a double batch for his fantasy football draft next month. Only tiny note: I ran out of apple juice for the spritz and used hard cider instead, still slapped.
Took me a minute to get my smoke chamber temp stabilized since it was 40 degrees out in Denver when I cooked these, but the wait was so worth it. My teenage son who turns his nose up at everything I grill ate 6 of these straight off the cutting board before I even got them tossed in the sauce. Total game changer for weekend smokes. Cook time was spot on for me, didn’t have to adjust anything once my pit held temp.
I meal prepped these on Sunday to add to salads, mac and cheese bowls, and sliders for the work week, and they held up so much better than I thought they would! I portioned them out into containers after letting them cool, and even after reheating in the air fryer for 3 minutes the bark was still crispy. SO good, way better than the sad takeout burnt ends I used to order from the BBQ place down the street. Will absolutely be a monthly meal prep staple for me.
As someone who’s competed in a few local amateur BBQ comps, I was skeptical of an online recipe for burnt ends – most cut corners on the rest period and end up dry. Followed this exact recipe for a practice run last week and wow, it held up to Texas standards. Took home 2nd place in the brisket category at our small town comp Saturday using this method! Only thing I adjusted was adding a pinch more cayenne to the rub for a little extra kick.
Made these for my son’s high school graduation party over the weekend, and I lost count of how many people asked me for the recipe. I served them on little slider buns with pickles and coleslaw, and they were the perfect handheld bite. I will say, cook time took me about 45 minutes longer than the recipe stated because my old smoker runs a little cool, so I’d recommend building in extra buffer time if you know your equipment runs off temp!
Me and my roommates chipped in on a cheap offset smoker last month and this is the first thing we’ve made that didn’t come out charred or undercooked lmao. We didn’t have a fancy rub so we mixed up what we had in the pantry – brown sugar, paprika, garlic powder, salt, pepper – and it still went so hard. We ate the whole batch while watching the game Sunday, no regrets. 10/10 would make again even if we had to sit outside refilling the wood chips every 45 minutes.
Cooked these up for the crew at the station last shift, and even our captain who’s a total BBQ snob said they were some of the best burnt ends he’s ever had. I used hickory wood per the recipe, and the sauce caramelized perfectly on the ends when I put them back in the smoker for that final hour. Only bummer was I didn’t make enough – the guys were scraping the foil pan for the last little bits. Next time I’m making two whole brisket points instead of one.
First time ever making burnt ends and I was so intimidated by the long cook time, but the step-by-step instructions were so easy to follow even for a total newbie. I brought these on our group camping trip last weekend and cooked them on my portable pellet grill, and everyone was raving the whole trip. My kids loved them so much they kept sneaking pieces off the tray while I was trying to toss them in sauce. Would absolutely recommend to anyone who’s on the fence about trying smoked brisket at home!