My limited experience is that the fat cap on a brisket is not going to render well so I usually place it fat side down to act as a heat shield. If I thought the fat would break down and keep the meat moist I would flip it to the top but such has not been my experience when I cook low and slow. JM2CW
If it can't be smoked .... try frying it. It that don't work, it's probably best just left alone
I start out with the fat cap down to give the bottom to get more smoke because I have the brisket sitting on a rib rack over a foil pan so I can catch the drippings. The foil pan gives me the same effect as the other recommended ideas. But after a few hours I flip it over fat up and allow the fat to drip down over the meat. Here are a couple of pics showing this.
Who are we kidding? …. We've all lost sleep over this one….
Fat up on the grate - uses gravity a little and creates grate marks on the "Pretty" side for presentation points only.
Fat down into foil - uses the fat like a layer of pam against the foil and mixes better with the liquids I add when foiling it up.
That's my method and I'm sticking to it…
And on the eighth day God created barbecue …. because he DOES love us and he wants us to be happy.
Current smokers: Egor (trailered RF) and Easybake (tabletop pellet drive)