Burnt Ends…..

[RickyBobby]

Right off the bat, Mods, please forgive me if this is the wrong section for this post…….

That said……. I’m calling my AR Brothers and Sisters for advice.

Five of my co-workers have opted to take an early retirement/buy-out package and will be officially out on Administrative Leave at the end of the month. The organization is doing a retirement potluck at the end of the month for them. Everyone loves the various smoked meats that I usually bring in for pot luck events, but I asked one of the five what he would request me to bring and he asked for burnt ends. He didn’t specify pork or beef, so I plan to do both…. (Pork belly and ????)

In the past I have used chuck for the beef, but given that there will be likely around 100 people at this event, I’m thinking that Chuckies may not be the best option (price wise) for this cook.

What do you all think? Should I stick with chuckies? I have not seen brisket point available locally other than full packers that I break down myself.

Is there another cut that would work well that I should be looking for that may be more economical?

Thanks in advance!!!!

[Oakgrovebacon]

Pork belly burnt ends are very good and so easy to cook. Melt in your mouth goodness. Whole bellies in my area are about $4 per lb. I would get 3 of them and you will spend about $140.

[WI Bubba]

Yep. If you're cooking for a crowd, keep your cost under control and stick with the pork belly. Beef prices are still too crazy to make it a viable choice in my opinion. If you want to have some variety you could tinker with the sauces. Make one spicier, one sweeter, and one Asian inspired. Or some such thing.

[RiverJeff]

I'm one who believes if it aint broke don't fix it! If chuckies works keep on keeping on! That's going to be a great send of meal! Best of luck to ya!

[Spinaker]

Like others have said, I would go with pork belly. It works great and it is much cheaper. If you wanna go the beef route, get some chuckles and let it rip.

[RickyBobby]

So I am definitely doing pork belly, but I still kind of want to do both. I may end up doing tons of belly and then a smaller batch of beef that I only give to the folks leaving…… and of course the Pitmaster tax…….. lol. I will look around for chuckie prices vs. brisket prices and then turn the flats into pastrami or something.

[Michael_in_TX]

Chuck roast prices down here are getting silly at $7/lb for Select, $8/lb for Prime. Brisket is hovering just under $4/lb. But, as you pointed out earlier, I guess part of the chuck surcharge is the convenience of not having to break down all of that brisket!

[mrichie1229]

Also remember, it is a pot luck. If there are 140 people attending, you don't have to cook enough to feed everyone. There is going to be a lot of food if almost everyone brings in something to share.

You've got this!

[HawkerXP]

Just in case you missed it........ I retired last year. I didn't get no burnt ends.