This ol dog learned a new trick

[tjus77]

Well maybe it wasn't a new trick, but new to me. The last three cooks of brisket, I experimented with fat side down. For weird reasons, the first two didn't impress me and I was about to give up, but decided to try one more time. 8 hours of smoking, wrapped, cooked for 3 hours more, coolered for 2 (14+ lbs).

I am very hard on myself when I cook, both q'ing and dutch oven, but I have to say this was the BEST damned brisket I've cooked in a long time. I could find nothing wrong with it. Tender, moist and great smoke ring. Sorry there are no pics, the camara is broke (AGAIN!).

My experimenting is over (yeah right), this is the way I will do it from now on. Before I would have wrestled you to the ground (verbally of course) on fat side up. To each his own of course.

 

[Sawdustguy]

As I understood it. Fat cap up or down should not make a difference for tenderness or juciness. What determines if the cap should be up or down is the origin of your heat source. I use a vertical so I cook fat cap down so the fat cap prevents the brisket from being exposed from the heat directly. When I used my Lang I cooked fat cap up because it was a reverse flow and the heat came at the top of the brisket.

 

[River City Smokehouse]

Where are the pics?

 

[Pipin' Pig]

8 hours of smoking, wrapped, cooked for 3 hours more, coolered for 2 (14+ lbs).

What is the coolered time for? Is that chilled, or just resting wrapped and warm? Sorry if this sounds dumb but I am new to brisket cooking doing my first one this past weekend.

 

[pigmaker23]

The cooler is to keep it warm if you don't have a cambro, or are short on holding room. just make sure you preheat the cooler with hot water before using for this purpose

 

[Chris Nickelson]

we use old towels and blankets,
place a couple on bottom and then brisket and then a couple more towels on tops and sides to wrap the brisket entirely.
It will keep hot for hours.

 

[Bigmista]

I've kept a brisket hot in a cooler for four hours with no towels or blankets. Just tossed it in the cooler.

 

[itschris]

I just did my first perfect pork butt. Threw it in the cooler at 205 (I had sealed it up in throw away foil roasting pan when I foiled at 175) and threw the whole thing in a cooler with some towels while the ribs were smokin. It was in there for 5 hours and I still had to use gloves when I finally took it out for pulling.

 

[paydabill]

I always cook por fat side up. however, I have done brisket both ways and really coud not tell the difference.

 

[Bigmista]

I always cook por fat side up.

Do you eat your por with a for?

 

[spicewine]

Fat side up / fat side down.... ask a thousand people and you will probably get 500 fat side up and 500 fat side down. The age old question. I think it was the cut of meat that made the difference for you. The only thing that I can tell you that it would be an advantage for you to cook fat side down, is if you had a hot fire and the fat would protect the meat from the heat.

Just my .02

Spice

 

[Norcoredneck]

Do you eat your por with a for?

Don't you speak Spanglish? Por Favor! I speak it but typing it is a biatch sometimes :biggrin:

 

[tjus77]

It might have been the cut of meat. The second time I tried it was just for the purpose of guarding the meat. I had to cook 5 briskets and was kinda close to the fire on one of them (with a baffle out of the firebox). I rotated every so often with the brisket on the opposite end, flipping each when I rotated.

Both of those came out ok, but not as good as those in the middle. Decided the next time I have to do that, I will rotate the two closest to the fire. There is a 20-50 degree difference between the first location and the furtherest.

 

[Ron_L]

The cooler is to keep it warm if you don't have a cambro, or are short on holding room. just make sure you preheat the cooler with hot water before using for this purpose

Don't forget to empty out the water before putting the meat in.

 

[frognot]

Don't forget to empty out the water before putting the meat in.

Unless they are ribs, which are best boiled . . .

 

[N8man]

mmmm boiled ribs

 

[The_Kapn]

I/we solved the debate.

We trim brisket and butts heavily of all external fat.
Can not figure out any reason for it to be there except to waste rub. :evil:

Works wonderful and we "walk" every contest with no fat cap!
And, "friends, neighbors, and family" love our stuff! :lol:

Just a thought--too each his/her own :lol:

TIM