Kansas City Burnt End Sandwich Recipes

BURNT END MELT SANDWICH

Steps:

• Preheat a smoker for cooking at 225 degrees F.
• Trim any excess fat from brisket. Sprinkle the brisket liberally with kosher salt. Stir together the black pepper, granulated garlic and 1/4 cup Cajun spice, then sprinkle all over the brisket. Place brisket fat-side up on a smoking tray and place in smoker. Add soaked and drained hickory wood chips and smoke until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the center registers 195 degrees F, about 12 hours.
• Let the brisket rest and cool completely, preferably overnight.
• Preheat the smoker for cooking at 250 degrees F. Cut the brisket into 1/2-inch cubes. Spread these cubes in an even layer on a sheet tray. Sprinkle with brown sugar, the remaining 1/4 cup Cajun spice and the BBQ Sauce. Mix thoroughly with your hands to ensure every piece is coated. Spread them out in an even layer and put the tray back in the smoker with fresh soaked wood chips to smoke for 2 hours. Remove from smoker.
• Hollow out the ciabatta. Add Mac and Cheese, some brisket burnt ends, green pear, some Cheddar and BBQ Sauce. Close the sandwich and place on a flattop panini press until cheese melts, about 1 minute. (Save the remaining meat for another use.)
• Combine light brown sugar, ketchup, pineapple juice, molasses, liquid smoke, mustard, salt, black pepper, granulated garlic, Cajun spice and 1 cup water in a stainless steel saucepan. Heat on low heat, stirring constantly and scraping the bottom with a wooden spoon so the sugars do not burn on the bottom of the pan, until it comes to a simmer. Simmer until desired consistency has been achieved, for about 1 hour. Allow to cool completely, then transfer to a clean plastic container or mason jar and store in the fridge.
• Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add flour to hot melted butter and whisk constantly for 3 minutes. Slowly add milk while continuing to whisk, then continue to cook, whisking, until sauce is thickened and bubbling. Remove from heat and stir in Cheddar, salt, pepper and Cajun spice. Stir until smooth and velvety, then fold in precooked noodles. Return to low heat and stir constantly until noodles are heated through. Serve.

KANSAS CITY BURNT END SANDWICH

Steps:

• Preheat the grill to medium.
• Form two 2-foot pieces of Reynolds® Heavy Duty Aluminum Foil into large bowl-like shapes with 2-inch high sides; place on the grill.
• Add the point pieces from the brisket to the foil bowl along with the beef broth and BBQ sauce and mix until combined.
• Cook the point pieces for 30 minutes on medium heat with the grill door closed or until they appear to be caramelizing and deeply browned, almost as if they were burnt.
• Serve the BBQ burnt ends on hamburger buns.

KANSAS CITY-STYLE BURNT ENDS

Steps:

• Sift the brown sugar, granulated sugar, salt, chili powder, paprika, black pepper, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder and cayenne pepper into a medium bowl and mix well. Set aside.
• Trim all the hard fat from the brisket. Trim all the soft fat to 1/4 inch. Prepare a smoker or a grill, following the manufacturer's directions. Stabilize the temperature at 220 degrees F. Use a mild wood such as hickory or cherry for the smoke flavor. Generously cover all sides of the brisket with the rub and gently massage it in. Reserve the leftover rub. Smoke the meat until an instant-read thermometer registers 170 to 185 degrees F when inserted into the flat part of the brisket, about 1 hour per pound. For example, a 10-pound brisket may need to smoke for about 10 or more hours. Monitor the internal temperature.
• Separate the point of the meat from the flat. At this time you can slice the flat part off the brisket and eat. Trim the visible fat from the brisket point and coat it with the reserved rub. Return the meat to the smoker and continue cooking until the internal temperature of the brisket point reaches 200 degrees F. Remove the brisket from the smoker to a cutting board and let it sit for 10 to 20 minutes. Cut into chunks and transfer them to a serving platter. Serve it hot with your favorite sauce on the side.