One item at Costco that has really grabbed my attention the past few times I have been in the store is the Smoked Beef Brisket Burnt Ends by Mason Hill Bistro.
The idea that I could satisfy my cravings for a batch of burnt ends in only 5 minutes has been eating away at my brain. I finally pulled the trigger and brought some home!
Keep reading and I will walk you through the pros and cons of these meaty morsels so you can decide if they belong in your shopping cart!
How Much do the Burnt Ends Cost at Costco?
The Mission Hill Bistro product costs $11.99 per pound.
My feelings on the price went through a roller coaster ride.
At first I thought, “$12 a pound is expensive!” but then I realized that any real barbecue restaurant would charge me more. I ended up taking the price tag as a guide of quality as I sure as heck wouldn’t even begin to trust the product if it only cost $4 per pound.
There is a meat market near my house whose slogan is, “Good meat ain’t cheap and cheap meat ain’t good.” So, okay…I don’t mind paying for great barbecue.
This package weighed 1.78 pounds which ended up costing me a little over $21.
When I took the outer wrapper off the package and took a look inside I will confess to a little frustration.
It turns out that about 2/3 of the weight was from the burnt ends and the other 1/3 was for the barbecue sauce. I don’t mind paying $12 a pound for great barbecue. I hate paying $12 per pound for barbecue sauce.
How to Reheat the Burnt Ends
Reheating the product is pretty simple.
- I used a pair of scissors and snipped a couple of openings in the plastic containing the burnt ends.
- Remove the package of barbecue sauce from the tray.
- Leave the burnt ends in the tray and microwave on High for 2.5 minutes.
- Use your hands to separate the individual burnt ends from each other while still in the package.
- Microwave the burnt ends for another 2.5 minutes.
- Open the plastic and pour the burnt ends into a bowl.
- Toss the burnt ends with the barbecue sauce.
- Microwave the sauced ends for 30 seconds.
- Serve.
Are the Burnt Ends Good?
If you are not used to authentic burnt ends then you will probably think these are pretty good.
If you are used to making your own burnt ends then you will be a little disappointed in these but will eat them anyways.
What I Like
The burnt ends look, smell and taste like barbecued brisket.
As far as “off the shelf” barbecue goes this is a fine product and is significantly better than the Costco Pulled Pork.
Considering that I was able to get these on the table in under 10 minutes, and did not have to spend the day working with a brisket, I was happy with the results.
What I Didn’t Like
What I didn’t like about the product is that, for the most part, these are NOT burnt ends. The package contained 7-8 large chunks of smoked brisket but the only one that was a true burnt end is pictured above.
Real burnt ends are made from the fatty point of the brisket. Almost all of the “burnt ends” in this package came from the lean brisket flat.
You should be able to pop a burnt end into your mouth and enjoy the super tender, moist fattiness melting in your mouth. We ended up using knives and forks to carve up the large pieces of flat into bite sized pieces that, while tasty, were not particularly tender.
Would I Buy The Mason Hill Bistro Burnt Ends Again?
Look, I get it…if a company is making “burnt ends” on a commercial scale large enough to supply the needs of Costco then of course they are going to use the whole brisket, point and flat.
These “burnt ends” are passable as decent barbecue and the reality is that most people will not realize that they are not getting authentic burnt ends.
Some day I might buy these again. I am not writing them off but I am not overly excited about them either.
Burnt Ends From The American BBQ Company
I watched a few YouTube videos and saw that some Costco stores are selling burnt ends from The American BBQ Company.
It looks like the American BBQ Company product has the same pros and cons as the Mason Hill Bistro brand. Here is the link to a nice review from Chris Allingham for the American BBQ Company product. In a nutshell, he likes them but isn’t overly impressed.