Burnt Ends the Sous-Vide way!!!

 

The King of BBQ Brisket is Burnt Ends. But what are Burnt Ends? Traditional Burnt Ends are from the point of brisket. Where I live, you rarely find a whole packer (whole briskets), and when you do come across one, you're usually not in the market for one. Yes, yes, I could buy one and freeze it, but I don't like to freeze the meat. So I decided to make Burnt Ends entirely from the flat.

Burnt Ends are a delectable delicacy and are prized by many if not all BBQ enthusiasts. I actually prefer Burnt Ends to BBQ brisket.

Sometime during the "cook," the whole brisket is removed, and the point is separated from the flat. Traditionally the point is cubed up and doused with more spices and smoked very low and slow for a couple of more hours, and sometimes BBQ sauced is added. Burnt Ends are typically served with a little char on them with some BBQ sauce on the side or in sandwiches. I recently attended a BBQ workshop, and their version of Burnt Ends was terrible. This so-called BBQ workshop rendition of Burnt Ends was nothing more than stewed meat in a tin foil pouch. A travesty to true BBQ Burnt Ends. 

The idea to make Burnt Ends was spontaneous and serendipitous. It happened after a long shift at work. I had just gotten off my mid-shift and arrived at QFC at 6:30 Am to do some shopping when I came upon this beautiful flat.

Hmm...I thought to myself, what can I do with this flat other than BBQ brisket? I must have walked around the store for about 15 minutes before I decided to purchase the brisket. Dang it, I gotta do something with this Angus flat. All of a sudden, I was overcome with an inspired vision of Burnt Ends but cooked Sous-Vide. This makes cooking Burnt Ends easy.

So I purchased the flat from QFC, and I was also delighted it was Angus beef too. I really had to work out the logistics to cook this thing with my complicated life and schedule. Most large briskets are cooked low and slow and can take upwards of 16 hours to cook. I did not have the time or inclination to smoke for 16 plus hours. Monitoring the pit over an extended period is not how I wanted to spend my only day off. Cooking Sous-Vide frees up a lot of time. 

Here is a picture of both sides of the brisket. I trimmed very little fat off of the brisket. This extra fat will help enhance the flavor and preserve some moisture.

I kept this very simple. I smeared mustard all over the brisket and covered both sides with one of my favorite rubs. That's very simple. 

I set up my Weber smokey mountain and got ready for my 3-6 hour smoke. I set it up for a low and slow cook 200-225 degrees.  

It took about 5 hours to hit 145 degrees, and that's all I wanted. Usually, briskets cook to an internal of 195-205 degrees. This takes forever because of the stall that takes place at about 145-ish. The other reason why we cook Briskets to an internal temp of 195-205 is to break down the connective tissue. This temp is where the brisket becomes very tender. We are going to Sous-Vide the brisket, so we are not concerned about this higher internal temp. Additionally, I cooked the brisket fat side down and used the fat cap as a shield against the heat rising up. There is much debate about fat cap down or up, but this is my preference.

So after the brisket came off the BBQ pit, I gave it a rest for about an hour or so and sliced. Nice and pink but not tender at all, which was not unexpected. 

The Sous-Vide will break down all the connective tissue over and extend the thermal bath.

I planned on a 149-degree temp for 48 hours. After the 48-hour thermal bath and because of my schedule, I submerged the brisket in an ice bath to stop the cooking process and to cool it down for an overnight stay in the refrigerator. This step is not necessary, but my schedule did not allow for the next step. 

All Sous-vide, cubed and seasoned. 

I took a Chaffing dish and pierced dozens of 1/4 inch holes through it to allow smoke to penetrate. I smoked the ends for about 2 hours, then doused them with BBQ sauce and cooked for another 90 minutes. What makes this extra special is I used the Au-jus from the initial cook and combined it with BBQ sauce. I reduced the sauce and used this for the last 90-minute cook. 

The stages of the cook......

It came out great, and the best pieces were the ones with extra fat.

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Update: 02/18/2016- After the rub is applied, it is refrigerated for 48-72 hours. This is called a dry-brine. The time will allow for better penetration. The temperature also has changed. I now prefer 135f for 48 hours. The initial temperature of 145f on the BBQ is still right, but anything from 135-145f is adequate. You are trying to develop bark. 

If you are in a rush, you can skip the first BBQ run and go right to the SV-Process. But skipping this step diminishes the Bark. It's AWESOME, though.