Smoked Hot Dog Burnt Ends
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These smoked hot dog burnt ends are “off the hook” good and I must admit that I was pleasantly surprised at just how tasty they were as well as how easy they were to whip up.
I always get a few “correction emails” when I call anything burnt ends that aren't brisket so I feel the need to throw in a disclaimer.
Here's the disclaimer: I am fully aware of what burnt ends are and that they are traditionally made from cooked chunks of brisket point. It is my belief that there is nothing wrong with using that same process on OTHER pieces of meat such as hot dogs, pork belly, etc. to make delectable things to eat.
If you disagree, I can live with that😉
With that said, let's jump right in!
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 1.5 hours
- Smoker Temp: 225°F
- Meat Finish Temp: 160°F (71°C)
- Recommended Wood: Hickory
- 12 hot dogs (I used quarter pounders)
- 2 TBS yellow mustard
- 2 TBS mayonnaise
- ½ cup Jeff's original rub
- ½ cup Jeff's barbecue sauce
- 1 cup brown sugar
What Are Hot Dog Burnt Ends?
Smoked hot dog burnt ends is my answer to great tasting burnt ends when you don't want to pay an arm and half a leg for a brisket or even a chuck roast.
These can be made using the most inexpensive hot dogs and they'll still taste like a million bucks in your mouth.
I'll show you how to cut them up, smoke them and then turn them into burnt ends with all of those super tasty charred bits around the edges using a little high heat at the end.
How to Make Hot Dog Burnt Ends
Burnt ends are all about the flavor and we want to apply plenty of rub to these. To make it stick, It's best to use a binder such as yellow mustard.
You can play around with different condiments if you like but I generally use mayo and mustard on my hot dogs so I decided to use that mix for the binder.
Start off by arranging all of your hot dogs into a half-size foil pan.
Use about 2 TBS of yellow mustard and 2 TBS of mayonnaise then brush that mixture all over the top, sides and bottoms of the hot dogs.
Sprinkle the top, sides and bottoms of the dogs with Jeff's original rub . Be generous!
I then placed the hot dogs on a pan with a rack.
Leave the prepared hot dogs sitting there while you go get the smoker ready
Set up your smoker for cooking at 225°F (107°C) using indirect heat. If your smoker uses a water pan, fill it up.
If you are using a pellet smoker, read these tips for best results
Place the hot dogs on the smoker and smoke them for about 1 hour or until they are 160°F (71°C) in the center and starting to get a little darker on the outside.
When they are finished cooking, bring them back into the house for further preparation.
In order to make these into “burnt ends” we'll need to slice these up.
I used bun length quarter pound hot dogs and cut them into 1-inch pieces.
I got 4 pieces from each hot dog.
Place the pieces into a half-size foil pan.
To the pan of hot dog pieces, add ½ cup of Jeff's original barbecue sauce and ¼ cup of Jeff's original rub as well as a full handful of brown sugar or about 1 cup.
Stir this mixture together with the dog pieces to coat.
They are now ready to be made into burnt ends.
You'll want to crank up the heat on the smoker to 375°F (191°C) or you can also use the grill or oven for this.
If you have a pellet grill, that will work perfectly!
The high heat will caramelize the sauce, rub and sugar on the hot dog pieces and turn them into hot dog burnt ends.
Once the higher heat is acquired, place the pan of hot dogs on the grate.
The bottom of these will begin to caramelize so you'll want to stir them around about every 10-15 minutes until they reach the desired level of done that you like.
I like a little “char” on mine so I usually go about 30-40 minutes but this will vary depending on what you are cooking on and how “burnt” you like them.
I served mine with a toothpick in each one as appetizers but these also make amazing subs or poboys.
- Try using sausages, andouille, hot links, etc
- Wrap burnt ends with a small pieces of bacon
- Place a jalapeño on top of each one before poking with a toothpick
- During the high heat phase, use jam or jelly with the rub instead of barbecue sauce.
- Experiment with different binders
Hot Dog Burnt Ends
Ingredients
- 12 Hot dogs (I used ¼ pounders, all beef)
- 2 TBS Yellow mustard
- 2 TBS Mayonnaise
- ½ cup Jeff's original rub
- ½ cup Jeff's barbecue sauce
- 1 cup brown sugar
Instructions
- Place hot dogs into half-size foil pan.
- Brush on 2 TBS each of mayonnaise and yellow mustard then sprinkle generously with Jeff's original rub. Flip hot dogs and repeat binder and rub on other side.
- Set up smoker for cooking at 225°F (107°C) with indirect heat. If your smoker uses a water pan, fill it up. Use hickory or other smoker wood for smoke.
- When smoker is ready place hot dogs onto grate and smoke for about 1 hour or until they are starting to darken in color.
- Bring hot dogs in and slice into approximately 1-inch pieces. Place pieces into half-size foil pan.
- To the hot dog pieces add ½ cup of Jeff's barbecue sauce, ¼ cup of Jeff's original rub and 1 cup of brown sugar. Stir well to coat.
- Crank up the heat on your smoker to 375°F (191°C) and once it is ready, place the pan of hot dog pieces back into the smoker. You can also use the oven or a grill set to high heat.
- Stir hot dog burnt ends every 10-15 minutes or until they reach the desired level of "burnt".
- Serve and enjoy!
How about bacon wrapped?
I’ve done the hotdog burnt ends several times with great success. Due to some health concerns in the family, I did two versions on July 4th. I did one regular version and I did one Keto version. For the Keto version I used a zero sugar BBQ sauce and I used a Stevia brown sugar. You really can’t tell any difference in the two versions – both were great.
I really need to try this one! I think I need to do both hot dogs and some Italian sausages, just to experiment. I’m sure this will go over well for a card game.
Jim, these are surprisingly good even for folks who aren’t big on hotdogs. I think the addition of other sausages and links would be really good as well.
I sprayed the foil pans lightly with Pam to keeping sticking down. It worked great. I live in a community with lots of get-togethers. Your recipes are always a big hit. I love this latest list of appetizers. Thank you Jeff.
I made these with hot links and was not disappointed. They were an instant hit in my house. I ended up taking some to share at work and the guys were asking me to make more (for a small fee of course 😉). I’m looking forward to making these as appetizers for the holidays. Thanks Jeff.
I’m so glad you liked these.. thanks for letting me know!
Hi Jeff. I made these once and wonderful. Do you think these could be made a head of time and frozen? What do you think would be the best apps to make and warm up. I won’t have time the day of the event. I thought about the smoked cream cheese???
Ed, I have never frozen hotdog burnt ends or smoked cream cheese but I have frozen hotdogs in a pack as well as unopened cream cheese. Based on my research, I think it would do just fine especially if it’s only for a week or two.
The hot dog burnt ends were great! My electric smoker’s max is 275 degrees, so I just let it smoke/burn longer. After about an hour, the sauce was very caramelized.
Todd, thank you for the feedback! I’m glad to hear they were a success😋
Jeff,
You can call them whatever you desire. They actually look yummy and something my grandkids will enjoy to snack on this weekend. Thanks for the recipe.
Jack L
Under variations – do you add jalapeno piece before 375F phase? Thx