Why fat side down vs fat side up

It's fun to try new things. I use mustard for my bologna sandwiches though. :-D

I used to do fat side up but now I do fat down and flip it after four hours just to get the smoke ring. That way the fat can stay pretty supple and can render down properly without being stuck to the grates. I also reapply a small layer of rub back on after the flip.

It's really simple...the fat cap should face the heat source to serve as a buffer and protect the meat from drying out. In WSMs, kamodos, etc, you should be cooking fat cap down. On horizontal offsets, fat cap up.

I consider the fat as a protective layer from the heat. All of the smokers I cook on have the heat below the meat so the majority of the time my briskets are fat down. If you have a reverse flow horizontal the fat cap would be up. The exception to this is when I hang briskets in my drums.

You should go with whichever gave you the best results. If your results were good fat up in the WSM, do it again. I have always heard, fat down towards the heat if you have a vertical cooker. Several of these guys have given good tips about flipping halfway and adding more seasoning. I have never experimented with mustard, no mustard so I can't add to that topic. I like mustard though...:laugh:.

I'm a flipper

I go fat side down. It shields the meat from the more direct heat coming from below, it allows full air circulation around the meat to get the bark forming, and you're not going to leave any bark stuck to the grate when you pull it off.

I'm in the Fat Down (on WSM), wrap, Fat Up crowd

Maybe people tell you fat side up or fat side down because if they say personal preference, they're afraid you'll put it on sideways? BTW, I'm a fat side down kind of guy.

LIke others said, so what you feel tastes best to you. Its fun trying various methods.

Fat side down with my BGE (and WSM before it) and add a little pickle juice to my mustard slather. Wrap with butcher paper when IT around 160. Not a flipper.

Fat side down

down

I think it depends on the circumstances. I understand the logic of having the fat side face the heat source for protection, but IMHO that becomes less important as you:
- cook lower and slower
- place the meat farther from the heat source
- use a water pan for moisture between the meat and the heat source
- place something that acts as a heat diffuser (sheet of metal, empty pan to catch drippings, whatever) between the meat and the heat source

If I don’t need the fat cap for protection, then I cook with the fat cap up for self-basting.

In my horizontal offset, for example, the only time I experienced an issue with part of the brisket cookin faster, burning, or charring was when I placed it right next to and above the opening into the firebox. If I just moved the brisket to the other end of the smoker, so the smoke and heat had a bit of room to mix before flowing around the meat, then I had no issue and didn’t need the fat cap for protection.

My vertical wood-burning smoker, on the other hand, contains a huge water pan between the wood fire and the meat rack. So, again, as long as I center the meat above that water pan such that the smoke and heat has to mix throughout the smoker before reaching the meat, I don’t need to use the fat cap for protection.