Fat Cap side UP AFTER smoking?

zachg18 · May 18, 2021

So I tend to smoke brisket fat side down on my WSM

And I'm wondering if I have made a really dumb mistake all this time...

Should I be flipping it fat side UP after I take it off the smoker? To let some of those juices drip into the other part of the flat and maybe soften the bark a bit?

I've always thought the bark was maybe a bit too tough sometimes..

Probably makes for better presentation also

WhiskyJoe · May 18, 2021

If you listen to Franklin or Myron, it really doesn't matter. There seems to be a friendly debate amongst comp folks which way is best. I've tried both and haven't seen a difference. I'm also not an expert. My briskies cap out at "decent" not "awesome". I'm trusting the guys that do hundreds of them a year here.

smokeisgood · May 18, 2021

Fat cap should go to whatever direction your heat comes from to protect it. If it is a water cooker and comes from the bottom, then fat side down. If it is a cooker where it heats from the top down, fat side up. Either way, the rendered fat on the outside is going to run off and not into the brisket.

zachg18 · May 18, 2021

Right....

I'm specifically talking about after i remove it from the smoker and I am letting it rest...

Sorry, maybe should have been more clear with that in the title...

smokeisgood · May 18, 2021

zachg18 said:
Right....

I'm specifically talking about after i remove it from the smoker and I am letting it rest...

Sorry, maybe should have been more clear with that in the title...

Ah, well sometimes I'm a little dense....

zachg18 · May 18, 2021

smokeisgood said:
Ah, well sometimes I'm a little dense....

Haha didn't mean that sarcastically! Genuinely wasn't sure the title was clear once I took a second look at it. Sorry if that came off rude

Dustin Dorsey · May 18, 2021

I like the fat side up when slicing. Also, on the WSM I cook mostly fat side down until I wrap with butcher paper. Then I go fat side up. If you stay fat down the rendered fat can stick to the paper and you'll pull it off unwrapping.

zachg18 · May 18, 2021

Dustin Dorsey said:
I like the fat side up when slicing. Also, on the WSM I cook mostly fat side down until I wrap with butcher paper. Then I go fat side up. If you stay fat down the rendered fat can stick to the paper and you'll pull it off unwrapping.

Good point! Didn't think of that!

Yeah i think I'll wrap, rest, and slice fat side up next time...

smoke ninja · May 18, 2021

I go fat up after wrap or when resting. for brisket the fat cap side is my presentation side.. while cooking its mostly fat down towards the heat but at least 1/3 the time its fat up.....I'm a flipper

jzadski · May 18, 2021

If I do start with fat down after wrapping and for the rest it's fat up

zachg18 · May 19, 2021

smoke ninja said:
I go fat up after wrap or when resting. for brisket the fat cap side is my presentation side.. while cooking its mostly fat down towards the heat but at least 1/3 the time its fat up.....I'm a flipper

We got a flipper here folks!!

Yeah I'm thinking this is a super simple thing I haven't been doing that may make a nice difference in several ways. Gonna give it a try!

Hawklaw · May 19, 2021

I am skeptical it would make a hill of beans difference. It seems that science has decided that the fat doesn't really baste the meat while it is cooking, so it would be hard for me to think it does when it is sitting.

Then again, bbq is all about experimentation . . . so go crank out a dozen both ways and tell us what you find. :-D

smoke ninja · May 19, 2021

Hawklaw said:
I am skeptical it would make a hill of beans difference. It seems that science has decided that the fat doesn't really baste the meat while it is cooking, so it would be hard for me to think it does when it is sitting.

Then again, bbq is all about experimentation . . . so go crank out a dozen both ways and tell us what you find. :-D

Fat up during the wrap keeps the flat in the wrap juice. Most do the same with ribs, meat down. Rendering fat definitely can baste meat. It may not penetrate but the wetting action it has on the bark can be beneficial. Think of it the same as butter basting a roast or turkey.

Burn · May 19, 2021

Up. The whole time in a boat. The fat is the flavor!

JWFokker · May 23, 2021

Fat down to start, fat up when wrapped and when resting.

Happy Hapgood · May 23, 2021

Just my .02 after doing many on my WSM. For me fat side down while smoking. For rest, still fat side down. Fat down. I think the rest is the 2nd most important part after it probes like butter in the thickest point of the flat and shakes like jelly. The 1st most important part is venting it to rest or stop the cooking. Once the IT is between 150 to 160*F it time to slice for perfection IMHO. There are folks here that know much more than me but I've had no complaints yet among folks that would tell me if they did not like it. :thumb:

PS: I only use Choice grade or better. Select is a waste of time.

Fat Cap side UP AFTER smoking?

zachg18

Knows what a fatty is.

WhiskyJoe

Is lookin for wood to cook with.

smokeisgood

is one Smokin' Farker

zachg18

Knows what a fatty is.

smokeisgood

is one Smokin' Farker

zachg18

Knows what a fatty is.

Dustin Dorsey

Full Fledged Farker

zachg18

Knows what a fatty is.

smoke ninja

somebody shut me the fark up.

jzadski

Babbling Farker

zachg18

Knows what a fatty is.

Hawklaw

Knows what a fatty is.

smoke ninja

somebody shut me the fark up.

Burn

Full Fledged Farker

JWFokker

Full Fledged Farker

Happy Hapgood

somebody shut me the fark up.

Similar threads