Brunch is ideal on those glorious days when you're able to turn off the alarm clock and enjoy a few extra hours of sleep. As you rise, your stomach grumbles for the purity of eggs but also for something hearty and flavorful with something sweet tossed in. This moment of appetite indecision is what Michael LaPidus wants to address with a new weekend brunch menu at Q-BBQ, the fast-casual restaurant with locations in Naperville, La Grange, Oak Park and Schererville, Ind.

“We are constantly innovating, and we're looking for a new way to shake things up,” LaPidus said. “There are no rules when it comes to brunch, so we decided to see what we could do.”

Everything from pork to beef to chicken can be part of brunch when mixed with other breakfast favorites. For example, LaPidus' new menu has a dish that begins with familiar hash brown potatoes. Then corn, black beans, chopped red onion and pan-fried Brussels sprouts are tossed into the mix.

The next ingredient added to the potatoes are burnt ends. “If you don't know brisket, you don't know burnt ends,” said Adam Chellberg, part of Q-BBQ's staff. “They are kept secret by pit masters.”

To make burnt ends at Q-BBQ, a brisket is rubbed with herbs and spices, smoked for 22 hours and then cut into small chunks. These tender chunks are rubbed with a mix of paprika, brown sugar and other ingredients and tossed into the smoker for another couple hours until the edges are crispy and caramelized.

“I like to think of it as beef jerky meets a grilled filet,” LaPidus said. The potato and burnt end mixture is seasoned, piled onto a plate and then topped with two sunny side up eggs.

LaPidus said there are many ways that meat can be paired with breakfast foods like eggs and potatoes to create great brunch dishes.

“My aunt is from lower Alabama — we used to say she was from L.A. — and she used to make a poor man's eggs Benedict that was biscuits topped with sausage links and eggs and covered with gravy,” he said. He created a menu item called Alabama Benedict similar to this childhood dish in her honor.

“Actually, leftovers from dinner are great for brunch,” LaPidus said. “Cut up leftover meat and mix it with eggs and potatoes and you have brunch. Just use the eggs and potatoes to pull it all together.”

LaPidus said that although the ingredients are piled together, each one should still have its own flavor and texture in a brunch dish. Instead of a stew-like quality where everything melds together, the different components should each bring their own textures and flavors. For example, Q-BBQ offers a chicken and waffle combination that begins with a sugar encrusted Belgian waffle that is sweet and crispy. Next, there is a layer of smooth and creamy buttermilk mashed potatoes. Then, at the very top, there are savory, crispy chicken strips.

“And then, you can add the smoked maple syrup,” said LaPidus, who takes pride in adding smoke to as many dishes as possible from sauces to syrup.

Another interesting brunch item is cornbread French toast. LaPidus noted many kinds of bread can be dipped into a batter and fried until crispy and brown to make French toast.

“When we were testing things for the menus, we had some leftover cornbread and decided to try it. We all tasted it and said, ‘Wow, this is really good.' The cornbread is sort of savory and sweet with the crispy edges from browning it.”

Cornbread is more challenging to dip and fry than other breads. Chef Luis Najera carefully lowers the cornbread into the batter with a spatula, pulls it back up and then gently slides it into the frying pan. He carefully holds onto the top as he slides the spatula under the cornbread to flip it. The naturally crumbly bread remains intact due to his gentle methods.

While Q-BBQ is “smoking” brunch on Saturdays and Sundays, LaPidus offers recipes for two of their brunch specialties for people to try at home.