Burnt Ends advice


 
S

Shaun H

TVWBB Fan
If I wanted to serve burnt ends with my brisket, what's the best plan to do so?

I have done maybe three brisket cooks, and always separate the point/flat after the flat is done and ready to cool. I throw on the point for a few more hours, and we eat dinner in the mean time. But I'd much rather serve the burnt ends WITH the brisket.

Should I just save the point from my previous cook in the freezer, and just throw it on the next time? Does this affect the taste/cook at all?

Should I separate the point from the flat BEFORE the cook, and maybe this will get the point finished faster/on time?

Is there some advice for a poor bloke like me?
 
I haven't tried it yet but I'd like to separate the point & flat earlier than when done - not only for the burnt ends, but because I find the fat that separates the two......unappealing....

Next time I do a brisket I'll probably buy a full packer & separate them before hand, and might start the point a few hours before, cooking both of them high heat.

Example: 7am throw on the point, HH (>275F), @ ~165F foil, check for done @ ~4.25 hours in (11:15am). Unfoil, cube, throw on in a pan. Then repeat the process - 11:15am, throw on the flat, foil @ 165F, start checking for done @ ~3:30pm.
 
You could separate when you take it off, wrap the flat to hold while you make the burnt ends. The flat will hold hot in a cooler while you.
 
Shaun, Burnt Ends are mainly a matter of timing. The Point is much fattier than the Flat. Separating the Point from the Flat say at around 165F will allow both to cook differently. The flat is wrapped in foil or butcher paper, holds the moisture, cooks until jiggly while the Point continues to render out.
For Burnt Ends, cube pieces of the Point, apply more rub and put them back into the smoker to render out.
The Point cut into bite sized pieces
IMG_0531.jpg
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The Flat ready to slice
IMG_1330.jpg
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The above photos are not all of the same cook but will help to demonstrate what I mean.

IMG_1349.jpg
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I've yet to get my burnt ends to render as much as I'd like - they're always too rich for me but other people seem to like them.
 
I agree. For me, I like to cook the point as one piece, allow it to render out and make the best beef sammies in the whole wide world....and yes the meat is rich.
 
I always take the point off after the brisket is cooked, I use a butter knife and just follow the fat seam. Put the point in a food saver bag and stick it in the freezer for a couple of weeks and make the burnt ends then.
 
Gary S said:
Shaun, Burnt Ends are mainly a matter of timing. The Point is much fattier than the Flat. Separating the Point from the Flat say at around 165F will allow both to cook differently. The flat is wrapped in foil or butcher paper, holds the moisture, cooks until jiggly while the Point continues to render out.
For Burnt Ends, cube pieces of the Point, apply more rub and put them back into the smoker to render out.
The Point cut into bite sized pieces
IMG_0531.jpg
[/URL][/IMG]
The Flat ready to slice
IMG_1330.jpg
[/URL][/IMG]

The above photos are not all of the same cook but will help to demonstrate what I mean.

IMG_1349.jpg
[/URL][/IMG]
Click to expand...

After approximately a couple hundred briskets and fifty or so ends cooks, this is how we've evolved into doing it as well. I separate the two at the bottom of the fat line (leaving the fat on the flat) and wrap it, at 160-165 or so. The point then gets cubed up, more rub coated, and I make a little dish out of doubled heavy foil, and put them back on to render out. That may take an hour to two or more sometimes, depending on how fatty the brisket was in the first place. About 30 minutes before I take 'em off, I toss them in a little sauce and if all the fat is out I'll pull the edges of the foil to close the ends in, and let 'em go the last :30. If they still need to render, I'll leave 'em uncovered.

With this method, the flat and ends can be treated as two separate products toward the end, but kept whole and cooked the same way up until the two are separated. It seems to work well for us, at least.
 
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