Burnt ends are typically made from the flat portion of a brisket. They are normally smoked with the brisket, then cut once the whole thing is done, added to sauce, and cooked more to give it it’s tender, sticky texture.

Briskets are expensive, cooking them then using the flat for burnt ends takes forever. I like trying to find ways to get something delectable like burnt ends. I have made them with chuck roast before (it was about as good as I could get it, the cut of meat was very limiting). This version uses sausage.

To make these poor man’s burnt ends, I smoked sausage until fully cooked (roughly 2.5 hours at 250 degrees), cut them into bite sized pieces, put them in disposable aluminum tray along with bbq sauce, brown sugar, honey, and a bit of butter, then cooked for another hour on the smoker. I ended up using Italian sausage for the recipe, not because I wanted to but because that was all that was available at the store. They still came out great! Super easy to make and was definitely a hit.