Brisket: Fat Up or Fat Down

[onesquin]

Brisket: Fat Up or Fat Down, That Is The Question.

So on my 500 gal RF I always cooked brisket fat up and had great results. Since building my new 120 gal patio RF rig I have cooked brisket twice and switched to fat down and I am not happy with results.

The problem I am having is that with fat down the flat on top is having a wide variety of temps. The middle of the flat is cooking really slow and is coming out chewy and more dry than I remember. Flavor is good but too much tug and a little dry.

I think fat up is the way to go on an RF where we are moving much more air than insulated units. I think the flat needs to be down so the radiant heat from the baffle plate is cooking the most uniform part of the brisket more evenly. I also used to position the point closest towards the turn so the the convection air coming around was hitting the point to cook it a little faster since it was not getting baffle plate radiation.

Does this make sense?

How do you RF guys cook your brisket? Have you shared similar results when trying different methods for cooking brisket?

Do you insulated guys notice a difference either way?

[onesquin]

Oh yeah. I have always injected with beef broth and use a 50/50 salt pepper rub and never wrap and have had great results in past.

[Pete Mazz]

That's why I trim the point off the flat and also remove most of the fat cap. Then I can cook the flat to perfection while also being able to get the burnt ends the way I like them. I don't have a RF tho but the reasoning is the same.

[onesquin]

I just spent time reading through all the brisket posts and I don't think anybody cooks brisket the same way!!! I always try to approach BBQ scientifically, but obviously results are king.

The other change I thought of after reading through the posts is rest time in the cooler. I have not let my brisket rest near as long as in the past. I need to change my schedule for my comp cook so I am getting at least 1.5 hours rest for the flat.

Lesson learned everybody. Don't go over a year without a smoker as you forget key information!!!.

[Clover Ridge Smokers]

This is probably one of the most debated things. HOW TO COOK BRISKET. You have to find a method that works good for you. To make this even more complicated, when we cook brisket for comps, it requires 2 cookers different cookers.

[onesquin]

I am starting to think that my first cooker I just got "lucky" and now I am having to deal with what everybody else has had to do... learn as you go.

[Pete Mazz]

approach BBQ scientifically

OK. Why would anyone expect a full packer to cook uniformly when the point end is twice the thickness of of the tongue end?

[onesquin]

approach BBQ scientifically

OK. Why would anyone expect a full packer to cook uniformly when the point end is twice the thickness of of the tongue end?

I don't. The outside of the flat where it is the widest and maybe 20-30% thicker is cooking the slowest which does not make sense other than when the fat is down it is not getting radiant heat and the convection heat coming around the turn is mostly hitting the thicker point. My point is actually hitting 200 and probes easy and my widest part of the flat is still at 170 and probes like a brick.

I'll just adjust what I think I need to do this weekend to make it better and report back. My adjustments:

Go back to fat up
Let brisket rest longer in cooler

I have a couple other things I am pondering that I found in the forum that I might try as well. Not doing anything to the actual meat, but a few small tricks.

[onesquin]

Well cooked fat up in my competition like I used to and got 2nd place in brisket. Problems solved.

[Rodcrafter]

That is great!!!!!

[Big T]

[Smokeone]

That's the key, stick with what you know. They'll like it or lump it. Sounds like they liked it!

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[Pennywise]

Ahh I love these threads.

I don't cook brisket too often as I am a pork specialist when it comes to smoking meat. I suck at beef ribs (though I am getting better since I've gotten such good advice here) and my briskets usually turn out good, but its just not my favorite to do.

Reading this thread though (and the fact Im cooking a 9lb brisket tomorrow) has given me some different insight into the nefarious slab in question. I am now looking forward to cooking it...albiet at my fathers house where there is a 500 gal RF in the garage with no doors on it yet...and I'm reduced to using his chargrill 50/50 with a side box smoker. That is the hardest part of this...my new smoker is sooo close yet so far away.

[Clover Ridge Smokers]

LOL, we've all been there

[Rodcrafter]

That is a need to have another in between the weber and the 500. Lol.

Those smaller briskets are flats I'm guessing. Just take it low and slow. And have fun!


Making memories.

[forty_creek]

I trim the fat cap down quite a bit and cook fat up.


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[THEFERMANATOR]

I trim the fat cap down quite a bit and cook fat up.


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Basically the same here. I trim it down until it is maybe a 1/4" of fat cap left(take off the hard fat, but leave the softer fat next to the meat), and cook fat cap up. Figure when the fat renders, the juices should follow gravity down into the meat better. When I cooked in my cabinet I cooked fat side down to help shield the meat from direct heat.

[Hort12]

I used to prepare the brisket in a different way with good barbeque spices. It is the easiest brisket recipe that I have tried so far. All I do is mix some barbecue sauce, soy sauce and water. Then slather the brisket with the sauce just prepared. I used to prepare the barbeque sauce myself with good barbeque spices that I bought from Horton Spice Mills in Canada. The barbeque spices make the sauce a rich spicy flavour and enrich the taste of the brisket. Then the brisket is wrapped in an aluminium foil and bake it for several hours until its tender fall apart. That's it, my beef brisket is ready to eat.

[cyberstrategist]

Depending on the type of smoker and how the heat flows through it, I'd always put the fat side toward which side (top or bottom) is hottest. I also make sure that the point is facing the firebox when using an offset since it can take more heat than the leaner flat.

-Cyber