FMB convinced me to try my hand at burnt ends last weekend....





Tagged so as not to bog down the thread.

I make pretty damn good 'basic' barbecue like pork steaks, barbecued chicken (of a number of methods) and do a solid job on regular grilling for pork chops, etc...

On a smoker, I'm solid at most things and can make ribs that I'll pit up against any restaurant.

But I shit you not, that's the best thing I've ever pulled off a grate. They were absolutely incredible. Great bark on the outside, flavor was amazing. It wasn't the damn chopped brisket that many restaurants served, it was that perfect crispy outside, soft/chewy middle and intense smokey flavor throughout that true burnt ends are supposed to have.

For my first real concerted effort at them, I couldn't be happier.

It is hard to beat brisket or burnt ends with perfect bark.

I may have to give that a try. Looks nice.

Fwiw, any of you springfield guys, whole hog cafe has the best burnt ends I've had. Legit

I cooked the whole packer for about 14 hours (13 lb brisket). It maybe could've used another hour. I took the point off and carved it into fist sized chunks before I sprayed the chunks with beer, re-rubbed them, threw them back on the smoker and loaded more wood to goose the heat to around 300. While that was on the smoker, I sliced and served the flat.

I still had the issue I've had in the past with the flat though - even when I pull them around 185, I find the first few slices to be pretty juicy but it's almost as though the moisture just evaporates and within minutes it seems to have gotten to dry on me.

I wrapped this one in butcher paper; maybe I'll go with aluminum foil next time and put a little liquid in the envelope. Then after I unwrap and hit it with the last hour of heat or so to re-set the bark, I'll really make sure to let it rest. Perhaps the problem is that I don't let the juices re-distribute before I start cutting it. I had people over this time so I just sliced as soon as I brought it in - that could've been a mistake.

I dunno...I'm gonna have to keep working at the flats because I've never been truly amazed by them. I've never had one that I thought was bad, but I've never made one that I was really proud of either.

How long do you rest? I take it to around 195, then wrap it in foil, wrap that in a beach towel, and park it in the cooler for an hour.

I stick a towel at the bottom of the cooler, brisket wrapped with foil ontop, towel over and around the brisket and fill the rest of the empty space with an old blanket.

Longer rest is better. Aim for 2 hours if you can resist the temptation.

Like I said - I didn't rest. And I'm starting to settle on that as being my problem.

I know the theory behind it, but I worry that the rest will hurt the bark if I haven't set it thoroughly. And yeah, 195 was my target mark but I was out there at 5am during a flash flood warning (the lake behind my yard broke out and was about 3 feet into the yard while this was happening...good times).

So in the deluge, I didn't want to get my probes out in the rain and risk damaging them. I just threw my chimney starter over the top damper to keep rain from running down it without constricting it (surprisingly genius, by the way) and decided to trust my dome thermometer as I know it's about 15 degrees off from the grate temp.

Big mistake. After struggling for 6 hours to figure out why it wouldn't fall below 275 and after figuring I was through the stall...only to see the internal temp of the brisket drop by 3 degrees I realized I might have an issue. So I got my probes out, fired them up, took the temp at the grate and realized that my dome thermometer was stuck and my grate temp was down to 165.

So I threw them in a five gallon bucket, stuck the lid on to protect them and set about getting things back on track. Probably cost me the 2 hours I needed to get it to 195 before I pulled. Really, 203 has always been my ideal target temp but I never have that patience (or plan well enough).

Bark come out okay still?

Seems like that's definitely a mistake I'm making.

How long did you cook the point after that? I tried to do burnt ends a few weeks ago and they turned out ok, but not as good as I would have hoped.

About 3.5 hours.

Next time I'm going to buy points only (gonna find grocery store that can get them for me), put them on at midnight, smoke for 8 hours and then check from there. If the timing works out roughly similar, they could be done in about 16 hours and be ready right at dinner time.

I think it was the re-spray and re-rub that helped get that bark to set hard like it did. And maybe bringing the heat up a tick. Did you cut yours into chunks before putting them back on? Most recipes I saw didn't call for that but my thought was the more exposed surface area, the better. Seemed like it helped a lot.

I don't know if its the corn beef/pastrami communities here that drive up the brisket price, but I only buy points now. Cook them the same as if they were attached, fork tender, then cube em, rub em, sauce mine w/ up to an hour left. Since I'm re-rubbing, I may foil it prior to speed things up.

**** all y'all. I can't even order a packer with the point, let alone a point by itself. And mine are $6/lb. on the cheap end!!!

Wow.

Mine was $3.50/lb and only because I sprang for Prime. $3.00/lb for choice.

If it makes you feel any better, seafood in this town sucks. It's not that it's expensive, it's that it's flat out unavailable.

So I did my first sous vide brisket this weekend. Definitely some learnings there. Smoked it to temperature then sous vide for a couple of days. Next time I will do it in reverse order.

For leftovers, I did a few things that ended up outstandingly good. Made sliders with BBQ sauce, caramelized onions, and cheddar. But the show stopper was a grilled cheese with cheddar cheese, chopped kimchi, and bbq sauce - holy shit.

**** all y'all. I live in BFE. Quit whining about grocery availability.