Believe it or not, it wasn't so long ago when burnt ends were an afterthought, or even considered scraps, that only a few keen folks in a BBQ line would request. Boy, how things have changed. Scroll through “grilltok” and you’ll likely find the now viral sensation sprinkled throughout your feed, along with millions of views and comments evangelizing the delicious morsels of concentrated BBQ.
And gone are the trimmed ends of a whole chunk of smoked meat. New preparations use the entire cut, sliced up into little bite-sized cubes with plenty of surface area to create a party-sized platter of rich, smoky, sticky BBQ that’s crisp on the outside and juicy and tender within.
To stand out from the other pitmasters, Jordan Isom has decided to combine these popular bites with another online favorite—sliders. Topped with coleslaw, crispy onions, and some of our Smoked Cherry BBQ Sauce, these puppies will convince your friends that you know what you’re doing. A blessing and a curse, because now you’re permanently in charge of the pit. Let’s get started!
For the burnt ends, Jordan calls for pork shoulder, but you can very easily sub in pork belly or the point end of a beef brisket. Explore our other rubs and sauces if you want to further trek off this recipe’s path.
For the burnt ends, cube up the pork shoulder and cover each piece on all sides with olive oil as a binder and then with the Cherry Cola rub. Place the cubes on a rack and smoke them using cherry wood or another hardwood of your choice.
While you wait on the burnt ends, make your coleslaw. Add your shredded cabbage and carrots to a bowl. In a separate bowl, add mayo, Dijon mustard, vinegar, sugar, Cherry Cola rub, black pepper, and lemon juice. Once the mixture is blended, add to cabbage and fold in until evenly incorporated. Place in the fridge.
Once the burnt ends reach an internal temperature of 175°F, it's time to wrap. Place your burnt ends in an aluminum pan with butter and ¾ of the bottle of Smoked Cherry sauce. Cover with aluminum foil and place back on indirect heat until the ends reach an internal temperature of around 210°F. Pull and cool when ready.
Next prepare the onions strings. Heat frying oil to 350°F in a deep cast iron skillet or dutch oven. In a bowl, mix together eggs and buttermilk. In a separate bowl, mix together the dry ingredients for dredging. Dredge the onions in the dry ingredients, then into the wet batter, and back into the dry ingredients. Fry onions in batches until golden brown. This should only take a few minutes.
Lastly, assemble the sliders. Bottom bun, onion strings, BBQ sauce, 3 burnt ends, coleslaw, and top bun. Dig in.