Burnt Ends

[Jeff Hughes]

I like burnt ends, and we are beginning to feel good enough about the quality of ours to put them in the box, but here in Dixie they are the exception rather than the rule. Of all the brisket I've judged this year I'd say only 10-20% of the entries included BE.

Were they an asset when you saw them?

 

[ique]

We have hit a stall with our brisket, finishing top 20, but can't seem to break the top 10. Do you think burnt ends are a must in order to do well at comps? How many top 5 briskets include burnt ends?

They are a must to put in your box if they are as good or better than your slices. If you can make em so they melt in your mouth and are not chewey than yes definitely! :smile:

 

[watertowerbbq]

How many of you burnt end turner-inners (is that a word?) are actually making burnt ends (separating the point and putting it back in the cooker to continue cooking) vs. turning in chunks of either the flat or the point (no additional cooking)?

I separated the flat and the point. Cubed the point and back on the smoker to make burnt ends. They were way better than the brisket today.

 

[PatioDaddio]

Personally, I avoid burnt ends. My rationale is that, if you include them, you are basically creating two turn-ins in one box, and thereby opening yourself up to problems. Now, if your slices and ends are killer, no problem. However, if you turn-in killer slices and mediocre ends, what happens?

In short, you'd better be VERY confident of EVERYTHING in that box. I, for one, don't want to be judged on two vastly different cuts in the same box.

Just my $0.02,
John

 

[Gowan]

Were they an asset when you saw them?

As John said above, burnt ends are an asset only if they are as good or better than the slices in the box. I think the danger here in a part of the country where they are less common is if you get a table of judges who don't understand what a good BE is you run the risk of getting marked down. I've heard other judges comment that burnt ends I felt were perfectly good were "too salty" or "too chewy" which says to me those judges simply aren't familiar with the nature of the product.

This is probably why a good number of cooks like to turn in simple chunks of flat posing as true burnt ends.

 

[PatioDaddio]

I'll also say that including burnt ends also causes a potential problem in evaluating your scores. If you get a poor taste or tenderness score, you have no way of knowing if it was the slices or the burnt end that caused the low score. You are then forced into a situation of playing the, "Was it the slices or the ends?" guessing game. It's unavoidable.

If there is only one cut in the box, there is only one place where the blame can lie.

John

 

[smokincracker]

I'd leave the slices on the cutting board before I left the ends out of the box.

 

[Kirk]

... burnt ends are an asset only if they are as good or better than the slices in the box...

Agreed. If it's in the box, it's going to get judged. I always prefer to include burnt ends but if I had done that this weekend, I believe it would've killed our score. Due to temp issues with the cooker, the point we put back in to render didn't. The chunks tasted great but they were tough and chewy. We left them out and finished 12th amongst some tough competition.

 

[daedalus]

Speaking as a judge, I couldn't care less if there are burnt ends in the box. If they are there, I judge them along with everything else. I know a lot of judges who don't typically even take an end (although i think they should if ends are in the box). As some others have previously said...If you add BE, make sure they are as good or better than your slices. I have often judged entries with good slices and bad ends and their marks have suffered for it.

 

[Divemaster]

Very rarely have I not included BE's with my box...

How many of you burnt end turner-inners (is that a word?) are actually making burnt ends (separating the point and putting it back in the cooker to continue cooking) vs. turning in chunks of either the flat or the point (no additional cooking)?

I always separate my points and flats prior to cooking...

i wouldn't actually define what I use as burnt ends, but i can call them judge candy!!!!

I look at them more like desert... From what I've seen while judging, they try the slices first and finish it off with the BE...

I'd leave the slices on the cutting board before I left the ends out of the box.

Me too...

I must also admit that I try both and if the BE's aren't up to snuff, they stay out... I still haven't had the guts to turn in just BE's, though I think I should have in the past...

 

[dreed]

UPDATE:
Well, we put some burnt ends in the box, cooked on Weber instead of triple barrel, and one other change, we took first at Norwalk in brisket.

 

[Just Pulin' Pork]

UPDATE:
Well, we put some burnt ends in the box, cooked on Weber instead of triple barrel, and one other change, we took first at Norwalk in brisket.

Way to go! I think you answered your question! :-D

 

[monty3777]

UPDATE:
Well, we put some burnt ends in the box, cooked on Weber instead of triple barrel, and one other change, we took first at Norwalk in brisket.

Nice!