No worries though I don't agree. I've 100% removed the fat cap from the flat and still ended up with a very juicy final product. I also feel like the meat science has been very consistent in this aspect and that exterior fat has absolutely no bearing on the final product.
https://amazingribs.com/more-techni...-science/myth-melting-fat-cap-penetrates-meat
"Fat will not migrate into the muscle as it is cooked. First of all, the molecules are too large to squeeze in. Second, fat is mostly oil. The red stuff in meat is muscle and it is mostly water. Oil and water don't mix. Protein in muscle is also immiscible in fat because of its chemical configuration. Third, in most cases there is an anatomical barrier between muscle and fat cap, namely, a layer of connective tissue holding muscle groups together. It too is water based."
Give it a try one time...trim the entire fat cap off and smoke up a brisket flat. See how it works out. Personally, I still leave about 1/8" of an inch as I feel like it does help in terms of insulating the meat from the hot spot on a cooker. Though I've done it without any fat cap at all and it still comes out good.
