brisket....fat up or down??????

[Big George's BBQ]

I do mine fat side down I thing the fat helps to protect the meat and the bark looks better- no grill marks

[LoneStarMojo]

Done em both ways.....I even have done brisket (and butts) with no fat cap. I enjoyed them all.

[K80Shooter]

Originally Posted by HankB

Why? What would be improved fat side down?

For me the bark (which is the best part) got too much heat and formed a inedible layer of meat, sort of like a hard crust. This could have come from a couple of things, too high of heat for the cook or because I didn't foil/wrap. I know if I had done fat side down that the fat would have taken most of the heat and I would have had that wonderful bark up top to eat. Another thing was it got done way faster than I thought it would. I foiled and wrapped in towels for about 5 hours, this could have had something to do with it, I dunno, this was my 1st brisket.

Now on the flip side the brisket was wonderful! Very tender and moist, so much so that juice would run out of it as it was being sliced. I just wish that I would have had some of the bark to eat.

[bigabyte]

Truth be told, the real secret that the "pros" use, is to wrap the fat cap all the way around the meat so that the fat faces all sides, and rotate the meat every 5 minutes.

I also have a nice bridge for sale.

[DubfromGA]

But my "work" today was a different matter, indeed.


Had to get java before anything else. I let this brisket flat sit out while I fired up the coals.







This bag of Wicked Good is nearly done. Time to reload.





Black Ops rub smells great and takes pretty easily.




4:50am

[bigabyte]

Looking good!

[DubfromGA]

Thanks guys.


I was here at four hours.









I'm afraid I done goofed early this morning and didn't even pay attention to where the fat cap was laying.......arghhhhhhhh !!!!


I went ahead and foiled at this point.




Funny thing is my pit temp recovered almost immediately after closing the lid.....but the brisket temp is holding...even dropped two degrees over the next thirty mins.

Do briskets stall like butts?




I went ahead and turned up the heat a bit.

[bigabyte]

Yep, they too have "the dreaded stall". Just keep on keeping on!

[jestridge]

Kinda like flipping a coin however it lands when you throw it on the smoker

[DubfromGA]

Originally Posted by bigabyte

Yep, they too have "the dreaded stall". Just keep on keeping on!

Thanks!



It finally bumped up two degrees.......then two more........

[BBQ Bandit]

Originally Posted by Big George's BBQ

I do mine fat side down I thing the fat helps to protect the meat and the bark looks better- no grill marks

Same way I do mine - regardless if its on the WSM, Klose, or Lang.

[jimmyinsd]

since i foil i dont get a good bark anyway, and i use a drip pan in the uds so i dont get the intense heat blast so i figure it doesnt really matter that much whats up or down. i have messed around and done them all sorts of different ways and the only certainty that i have found is there really is no certainty.

like the coin flip reference, how they land is how they land.

[DubfromGA]

I ruled out temp probe trouble with an old trusty thermometer.




It proved everything was correct.

I doubled the wrap and let it rest at the 11th hour. It was 201 internal.....pit stayed around 225 most of the time.

Coals were still fit to cook up steaks, burgers, wings or anything else. Got to love an efficient smoker-fuel source combo.

[DubfromGA]

I didn't have anything other than a oversized steak knife to slice with. This will be remedied by next brisket smoking.








Leftovers will be enjoyed !





I really appreciate all the advice from everyone. This thing was fun to cook. I'm looking forward to doing another sometime soon....just have to work it into a day off.