Yeah, I know… I’ve been writing a lot about barbecue lately but it’s another passion of mine besides baking bread. And yesterday, I made what is essentially meat candy!

Last weekend, I made a gorgeous brisket. It was a huge cut of meat. I shared most of the flat (lean side) with a friend and kept the transition and point. Even after I split the transition from the point, I still had a bunch of point meat left. So, yesterday I cubed it up for burnt ends.

At least for me, burnt ends aren’t necessarily about the meat. They’re about the sauce. And because the meat was SO good, I didn’t want to use store-bought sauce, even though there are wonderful sauces out there. I wanted to make my own.

I must come clean about what inspired me to make the burnt ends and sauce. I happened to watch a video on bourbon burnt ends by Meat Church BBQ. And since I love bourbon, and have a few bottles, I thought that the sauce would be perfect for my burnt ends.

But when I looked at my shelf, I saw that I only had top-shelf bottles that are sippers. Bummer. I wasn’t going to use bourbon from $75+ bottles. But then I thought, what about using another spirit? I smiled because I had plenty of rum. So, I concocted a sauce recipe. I call it “Rum Fire.”

Jamaican Rum Fire BBQ Sauce

The idea behind this sauce was that I wanted to showcase the funkiness (aka “hogo”) of Jamaican Rum in a BBQ sauce and also give the sauce a more Caribbean feel as opposed to traditional southwest flavors. That covers the rum part. The “fire” comes from hot chili peppers like Habanero or Scotch Bonnet which also add to the Caribeean theme of this sauce.

Base

• 1 cup ketchup
• ½ cup tomato paste
• ½ cup apple cider vinegar
• 1 cup brown sugar

Rum and Aromatics

• ¾ cup Jamaican Rum
• 1 small onion, pureed
• 4 cloves garlic, pureed
• ¼ carrot, pureed
• 1 tbsp Worcestershire (I prefer Bear & Burton’s W Sauce)
• 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
• 1 tbsp beef tallow or butter

Spice Layer (Jamaican‑leaning)

• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• ½ tsp ground ginger
• ½ tsp cayenne
• ½ tsp black pepper
• ½ tsp allspice
• Pinch of clove (tiny—Doctor Bird amplifies it fast)
• 1 tbsp Meat Church Holy Cow
• 1 tbsp Meat Church Holy Gospel (for dusting after the cook)
• Optional: 1-2 Habanero or Scotch Bonnet chili peppers (seeds removed, finely chopped)

Process

1. Puree the onion, garlic, and carrot in a blender to create a smooth paste.
2. On medium-low heat, melt the tallow or butter, then pour the puree into a medium sauce pan. Sauté the puree until transluscent.
3. Add the Worcestershire and Dijon and completely incorporate
4. Add all the dry spices and incorporate them completely. Cook for 1-2 minutes or until the spices become fragrant.
5. Add all the base ingredients and the chili peppers to the pot and mix well.
6. Once everything’s together, add the rum. Mix until fully incorporated.
7. Allow to come to a slow boil, then reduce heat to low to burn off the alcohol.
8. Simmer uncovered for 30-45 minutes depending on how thick you want the sauce.
9. Once you’ve got your desired thickness, let it cook for 30 minutes.

If you don’t want that Caribbean heat kick, use less chili peppers or devein them before chopping them up.

Making the Burnt Ends

When I’ve made burnt ends in the past, I don’t cook them right after I pull the brisket. The point meat is so soft and fatty that it’ll fall apart. So what I’ve learned to do is to refrigerate the meat. It makes cubing and saucing so much easier! Plus, it limits the amount – if any – the meat breaks up. If the meat was warm, it would tear apart and you’d have pulled brisket. That’s not a bad thing, but not what you’re after.

1. Cube refrigerated brisket point meat into 3/4″ cubes.
2. Sauce the meat just enough to coat. You don’t want the meat to be swimming in sauce, otherwise the sauce won’t caramelize, and that’s what makes a great burnt end.
3. Sprinkle the Meat Church Holy Cow (or a salt, pepper, garlic, smoked paprika mix) over the meat, then gently fold the meat to evenly distribute the sauce and seasoning.
4. Cook uncovered at 300°F for 30 minutes. That said, I like to cook them on my Traeger to give them a kiss of smoke.
5. Fold the meat again, then cook for 30-45 minutes to fully caramelize the sauce.
6. Remove from oven then immediately sprinkle Holy Gospel seasoning (or your favorite that has just a hint of sweetness to it).
7. Gently fold the seasoning into the hot meat.
8. Rest for 15 minutes, then serve, using the remaining BBQ sauce as a dip.