If you are looking for a cheap and easy alternative to traditional burnt ends, look no further.

These Hot Dog Burnt Ends are a fun twist on a barbecue classic that won’t break the bank.

Most smoked meats take all day to prep and smoke, but these Hot Dog Burnt ends are quick, easy. Make them whenever you’ve got hungry mouths to feed. They only take about 90 minutes and the result is a sweet and smoky dish makes for a great snack or appetizer.

Hot dog burnt ends

Hot Dog Burnt Ends are simply hot dogs that have been smoked and then chopped up into pieces and coated in a generous layer of barbecue sauce, brown sugar, and butter.

Then they’re put back on the smoker for a little longer to get nice and caramelized. The result is a tasty bite of barbecue with a soft center and a nice, sticky, crispy exterior.

Needless to say, they are pretty darn good.

This recipe’s technique is inspired by traditional brisket burnt ends, which originated in Kansas City where they started using leftover portions of brisket that weren’t commonly served to diners.

Once the burnt ends were removed from the smoked brisket, they were tossed in a combination of barbecue sauce and a sweetener, such as brown sugar or honey. Then, they were thrown back on the smoker to let the sauce set and create the sticky and delicious delicacy known as BBQ burnt ends.

What you’ll need

• Beef hot dogs – You can use whatever kind of hot dogs you have, but I’ve found that beef work best
• Yellow mustard – Helps the rub stick to the hot dogs, you could also use a little oil
• BBQ Rub – Experiment with whichever store-bought BBQ rub you like, or make one of our homemade rubs
• BBQ Sauce – Again the exact type of sauce doesn’t matter so experiment or use our easy homemade bbq sauce
• Butter
• Brown Sugar

What kind of hot dogs to use?

Hot dogs may not seem like the optimal choice for making burnt ends, but they really transform into a sweet and delicious treat that will surprise you.

The key to great hot dog burnt ends is to use quality hot dogs. I find that all-beef hot dogs are better for this recipe, both for taste and for texture. I used Brisket Hot Dogs from H-E-B for this recipe, but any all-beef hot dogs are fine.

If you have a bit of time and a meat grinder you can always make your own hot dogs.

Step by step directions for making smoked hot dog burnt ends

1. Seasoning your hot dogs

You don’t have to use a binder, but I’ve found that it makes the rub stick better and helps get the “bark” on the outside of the hot dogs nice and even and crispy.

Just slather them in a bit of mustard until they’re well-coated.

Then, you can add some seasoning. This recipe is extremely versatile and very forgiving, so you can use just about any barbecue rub that you like! Here are 10 BBQ Dry Rubs You Can Make at Home if you don’t have any store-bought rub on hand.

Once your hot dogs are coated in mustard and seasoning, fire up the smoker and get started cooking!

2. Smoke your hot dogs whole

The hot dogs need to smoke for about an hour with the seasoning on them. You don’t want to smoke them at too high a temperature because you don’t want the hot dogs to dry out, so I recommend setting your smoker at about 250°F.

For this recipe I used my Camp Chef Woodwind Pro with the temperature set to 250°F and the smoke level to 5 so I could really get some good smoky flavor on my dogs. For the pellets, I used Bear Mountain Bold BBQ pellets.

Use whatever smoke wood you have on hand.

Place the seasoned hot dogs directly on the smoker’s grates. If you prefer to use a wire rack, that’s fine, too. They’re pretty easy to get on and off, so I usually skip dirtying an extra thing.

After about an hour on the smoker, you can pull the hot dogs off. They should be starting to char and get crispy on the edges. Now it’s time to make your burnt ends!

3. Cut each hot dog into pieces

Lay your smoked hot dogs out on your cutting board and chop them into pieces. You should try to get all the pieces pretty uniform in size, so they cook evenly, and I recommend shooting for pieces about 1-1/2” long.

Now it’s time to make the sauce – this is really what transforms them from smoked hot dogs to hot dog burnt ends!

4. Make the sauce

Transfer your chopped up hot dogs to a pan. I use the Cambro High Heat Pans for this because they’re reusable and can withstand temperatures of up to 375°F, but a disposable aluminum pan or casserole dish will work fine too.

Add your chopped up hot dogs to the pan, place the pats of butter on top, sprinkle on the brown sugar, and then drizzle on the barbecue sauce.

5. Cover and smoke again

No need to mix them, everything will melt together on the smoker. Then you can cover the pan with aluminum foil. This will help them braise/steam to finish cooking.

Place the tray of burnt ends back on the smoker and let them smoke for about another hour.

6. Serve

Once the sauce is caramelized and the burnt ends are sticky sweet, they are ready to enjoy! You can transfer them to a serving platter and serve them immediately.

Other burnt end variations to try

In recent years, different variations of burnt ends have been gaining popularity.

While you can argue whether or not these technically count as “burnt ends” there’s no denying the effectiveness of this technique.

Here are some other great burnt-end recipes to try:

• Hot Honey Pork Belly Burnt Ends
• Poor Man’s Chuck Roast Burnt Ends
• Smoked Salmon Burnt Ends
• Smoked Pork Belly Burnt Ends

Hot Dog Burnt Ends Recipe

The great part about using hot dogs to make your burnt ends is simply the amount of time they take to prepare. A brisket can take anywhere from 12 to 18 hours, but these hot dogs only take about 90 minutes to whip up!

Print

Hot Dog Burnt Ends

Chunks of smoked hot dog slathered in a sweet caramalised bbq sauce.

Course Appetiser

Cuisine American

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 2 hours hours

Total Time 2 hours hours 5 minutes minutes

Servings 8

Calories 334kcal

Author Breanna Stark

Ingredients

• 12 beef franks you can use your favorite kind of hot dog
• 2 tbsp yellow mustard or mustard
• 2 tbsp bbq rub Any general perpose BBQ rub will do, I recommend our ultimate rib rub

Sauce

• ½ cup bbq sauce
• 4 tbsp butter cut into pats
• ¼ cup brown sugar

Instructions

• Preheat your smoker to 250°F.
• Remove your hot dogs from the package and coat them in the yellow mustard.
• Season the hot dogs on all sides with the barbecue seasoning/rub until they are well-coated.
• Place the hot dogs directly on the grates of your smoker and let them cook for 1 hour, or until they start to get charred and crispy on the edges (but not burnt).
• Remove hot dogs from the smoker and chop them into 1-1/2” long.
• Add the chopped hot dogs to a pan and cover them in the pats of butter, brown sugar, and barbecue sauce. Cover the whole pan in aluminum foil.
• Place the pan back on the smoker, still at 250°F, for another hour or until the hot dogs are sticky and caramelized.
• Serve immediately alongside the remaining sauce for dipping.

Nutrition

Calories: 334kcal | Carbohydrates: 21g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 25g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 61mg | Sodium: 737mg | Potassium: 154mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 433IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 40mg | Iron: 2mg