What are “burnt ends” from a brisket?]
Jim McGrath and Danny Gaulden– The burnt ends of a brisket come about two ways. As stated above, they can be made on purpose by returning the point to the smoker for another 4-6 hours and they can result from the thinner parts of the brisket’s flat getting overcooked during the smoking process. The burnt ends are usually rather dry and very smoky tasting. These can be served thinly sliced with lots of BBQ sauce or chopped up and used in dishes like chili, stews and soups. Jeff Lipsitt– I asked Jake, at Jake’s Boss BBQ, certainly one of the best establishment Q’ers in New England, what was his definition of burnt ends. Here’s what he said: “Traditionally, in Texas, the first cut on the flat and the point were not considered good sandwich or serving pieces. Those pieces were put away until quite a few briskets had produced enough ‘first cuts’ to chop and mix with BBQ sauce. One day a week, the menu would then feature ‘burnt ends’. . . and the price was right!” Then he went on to say: “
