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Does Burnt ends help or hurt your presentation?

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This kind of came up in another post but not to hi-jack that post I thought it would be fun to get some input on this.

Adding burnt ends to your brisket presentation. Does it help or hurt your presentation scores? Why put them in if it doesn't help?
I'd like to hear what judges have to say. What do you like to see in a brisket box?
 
As a judge, I like to see burnt ends in the box along with slices. I don't think it necessarily adds or detract from the aesthetics of the box, but giving me two things to try can only help the overall score-- if the burnt ends look good.

As for why to put them in if it doesn't help? Even if it doesn't help your presentation scores, they can help your taste and tenderness scores-- deckle is your friend.

What do I like to see? Beef that looks and tastes like beef, not candy.
 
I honestly don't see that adding burnt ends could help your presentation scores but I can see them hurting if they are not presented well along with the slices.

As for "why put them in if it doesn't help". I think where a burnt end really helps you is in the taste and tenderness category. We all know that if you present both slices and burnt ends, the judge is supposed to try both and base their score off of both.

However, the way I see it is there are judges out there that really like burnt ends and more than likely they will taste that burnt end after they try the slice because they are saving what they hope to be the best for last. So, if your slices were a bit off but your burnt ends are killer, that judge is very possibly gonna score you on his impression of that killer burnt end and not the average slice because it was the last thing he tasted and the last impression left on his mind before writing that score down..
 
Our scores improved after we added burnt ends, but I have to admit that our brisket was improving too. They'd better be awfully good burnt ends, though, or they're going to be a disappointment that will lower your score. The presentation score will suffer if the burnt ends obscure anything else the judge wants to look at.
 
It shouldn't matter as far as presentation goes. If a judge marks down a turn-in box for not having burnt ends, they are doing everyone a dis-service and should not be judging. If burnt ends are included in the box they should be judged along with the brisket for presentation.
 
I always worry about the less experienced judge know knowing what a burnt end is. They are a big chewy compared to a slice. Not like a hockey puck, but in comparison. They are from a different muscle with different characteristics. I worry about the less experienced judge knocking me down because that piece was "tough".

It ain't a Jack Links Nugget, dude! <Shameless plug for ScottieD>
 
Also, the category is Appearance and not Presentation. The judges should be looking at how the meat looks and not how it was presented. Now presentation has an affect on appearance, but the score is for looking delicious and not looking pretty.
 
Judging fair and without bias has to be tough. I like cooking!

Most of the pics you guys display look better with them imho but I get to stare at them and nit pic all I want. That has to make a huge difference.
 
Plowboy said:
I always worry about the less experienced judge know knowing what a burnt end is. They are a big chewy compared to a slice. Not like a hockey puck, but in comparison. They are from a different muscle with different characteristics. I worry about the less experienced judge knocking me down because that piece was "tough".

It ain't a Jack Links Nugget, dude! <Shameless plug for ScottieD>
Click to expand...

Maybe I'm doing something wrong because my burnt ends are never chewy. They always come out extra tender.

Hey I just remembered, I brought some for lunch today.

MMMMMM...burnt ends....
 
Assuming you have two boxes that are identical in every way except one contains burnt ends and one does not, I think the one with BE may have a chance to do slightly better in appearance across all six judges.

That said, I agree with Diva. Since your taste and tenderness scores will be a composite of all the meat in the box, I don't put anything in there unless I feel it will help. If there is the slightest doubt as to the quality of a type of meat and I have another type already in the box, I leave the questionable item out.
 
I turn in slices and pulled (yes I am talking about brisket not pork)
 
Interesting. How does that do in NY?

There are definitely region differences even within KCBS contests - for example here in Georgia sliced pork is rare and burnt ends, while not uncommon are not present in the majority of the boxes I've personally judged. The only time I've seen pulled or chopped brisket is when it was so far overdone the cook had no choice because the slices wouldn't hold together. I've never tried it myself, so I'm curious about how the judges react to your pulled product.
 
I turn in just slices. i would have to have some phenominal burnt ends before i would turn them in, and i never have in a contest, so i just gave it up. I just do the best i can to make the brisket flat great.
 
CivilWarBBQ said:
Interesting. How does that do in NY?

There are definitely region differences even within KCBS contests - for example here in Georgia sliced pork is rare and burnt ends, while not uncommon are not present in the majority of the boxes I've personally judged. The only time I've seen pulled or chopped brisket is when it was so far overdone the cook had no choice because the slices wouldn't hold together. I've never tried it myself, so I'm curious about how the judges react to your pulled product.
Click to expand...
Reaction has not been bad. I have only done it 3 times and these were my results

1st place williepalooza 2007
6th place Sayville 2007
10th place yardley
 
Last edited:
Our scores greatly improved after including burnt ends. But that's probably because our slices need all the help they can get.:-D
 
CivilWarBBQ said:
Since your taste and tenderness scores will be a composite of all the meat in the box, I don't put anything in there unless I feel it will help. If there is the slightest doubt as to the quality of a type of meat and I have another type already in the box, I leave the questionable item out.
Click to expand...

So you would turn in a box of burnt ends w/o slices if the slices were questionable?
 
Sledneck said:
Reaction has not been bad. I have only done it 3 times and these were my results

1st place williepalooza 2007
6th place Sayville 2007
10th place yardley
Click to expand...



Nice looking box there.
 
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