The Renowned Mr. Brown....now these are burnt ends!

 

      In old Southern slang, "Mr. Brown" is the dark, smoky outside part of barbecued pork, usually the shoulder. This is the traditional cooking style, perfected by generations of pitmasters to give Mr. Brown his deserved recognition.   Over the years this has become the standard for those dark, crisp edges of Q when any meat is smoked.  The desired emphasis for the moist, tender, succulent meat was always inside, but in truth there has always been as much, if not more flavor in the outer, burnt, crunchy layer. 

      These days it has become familiar and popular with brisket, pork belly, and several other cuts.  I have tried all of these which are okay, but my first and foremost love is for my baptism under fire.  My first experience with this was beef brisket.  These have the best flavor, crunchiness, and texture of any of the burnt ends available.  Any major Q'er will tell you that these come from the outer edges of the 'point' end of the brisket, but I have had luck with either the 'point' or the 'flat'.  I choose to offer these as an appetizer or side dish.  The brisket it the main course.  Don't let the appearance fool you, there will be burn, smoke ring, and tender meat in each piece.  

      The key here is to concentrate on the 'doneness' of the entire brisket.  Burnt ends are a delicious side effect.  Many Q'ers and recipes will tell you to cook the entire brisket for burnt ends, but I like to take the outermost trim that crusts and burns a bit while you cook.  This will yield you less meat, but perhaps the most delicious.  You can, however, dedicate your entire brisket to burnt ends if that is your goal.  Regardless, your goal is cook, trim, and finish well.  

      Season and cook your brisket as would normally.  When the meat gets to the 165F mark remove from the pit, place on cutting board and trim the outer edges about 1-2" in throughout. Make sure this meat is done and at the edge of crunchy, burnt.  The rest gets wrapped and returned to the pit to finish.  

      Cut the meat into 1" pieces and place in foil pan.  Re-season with dry rub and 'drizzle' with choice of BBQ sauce.  The goal here is to refresh the seasoning and sauce, but maintain the cooked, crispy offering.  Return foil pan to the wood pit and cook for another hour to finish.  Cooking temp here is only 225 so judge accordingly with your brisket.  No shame finishing these in the oven.  

       As I have said from the beginning I do not treat 'Burnt Ends' as a main dish, but more of an appetizer.  As such the amount I can expect as yield will vary quite a bit.  The biggest factor in the quality of Burnt Ends is your tastes for spice, sweetness, crunch, and flavor. These are delicious served with dill chips, peppers, and/or guacamole. 

“The main course at Bryant’s, as far as I'm concerned, is something that is given away free – the burned edges of the brisket."

Calvin Trillin

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