The Smoked Costco Deli Food You Should Avoid, According To Customers

Costco has some real culinary hits on its hands, like its inflation-proof food court hot dog and its decadent Tuxedo Chocolate Mousse cake from the bakery. But the big box warehouse chain can't win them all, and according to some customers, we'd all be better off if we avoided the Kirkland Signature burnt ends, found in the deli department. These fully cooked brisket ends (the best cut of meat for the job) are sold refrigerated, in boxes of about two pounds, and retail for $13.89 per pound. But according to many Redditors, the taste and texture leave much to be desired.

"As a guy who likes to smoke his own meats, these are terrible," one commenter on r/smoking said. They continued, saying that even as a "lazy guy" who doesn't like to go to the trouble of smoking his own meats every time, they are still awful. Others on an r/Costco thread devoted to discussing these burnt ends found them to be chewy and tough, nothing like the tender bites you can find at actual barbecue joints.

Another person on that same Costco thread remarked that flavor-wise, they tasted like ham before commenting that they would never buy them again. Still more found them to be off-puttingly salty, and even one Redditor who actually liked them thought they could ease up on the saltiness.

Costco's burnt ends might not be winning any barbecue awards, but Redditors did have some suggestions for how to make the bites at least palatable (handy if you already had a box hanging around your fridge or freezer before reading this). One commenter on an r/Costco thread recommended tossing the instructions that come on the packaging and instead slow-cooking the meat for up to six hours. "That way the fat melts away[,] and they become tender and absorb the barbecue sauce that you add," they instructed.

Another Redditor on that same thread said to think of them like a foundation upon which you build flavor and texture. They said they chop them up into smaller bits, add seasoning, slather them in some barbecue sauce, and then air fry them so that the meat's edges get crisp.

You can also try pairing them with other foods to up the flavor. A few people on both the r/smoking and r/Costco subreddits said they eat the burnt ends with mac and cheese (a classic barbecue pairing), while on the former subreddit, someone used the meat for tacos and nachos, presumably partnering the burnt ends with a variety of other ingredients.