Poll
Question:
Butts and Brisket
Option 1: Fat side up
Option 2: Fat side down
Ok, So which side up - fat or lean ?
Fat up for me. I'm looking for flavor, not a new diet!
If you are talking about shoulder, butt or a picnik then we do ours fat on top. We do it in a Traeger so it is indirect heat and do not have to protect from direct heat.
Ditto
Mainly fat side up, since I am a flipper, rotater, and back to fronter....some of the fat does get some smoke.
Fat on bottom.
Heat insulation.
I'm playing devils advocate and going with JoeHiFi on this one... ;)
Lately I've been doing fat side down. The theory with the fat cap on the bottom it acts as a heat shield protecting the the meat from any temp spikes. On Brisket I have found the temp on the flat and the temp on the point to rise during the smoke more consistently with the fat cap down as well.
Just my 2 bits...
Mike
Fat side up
HR
Mostly fat side up. While the fat bastes the meat it helps cool the meat surface and protects it from the heat.
UP for me.
up
Up to baste the meat!!!
Ray
Fat side up
lophole
Up for self basting
Fat side up for me.
Fat side up.
Heh, little late. Work has been hell.
Fat side up. Brisket, butt, don't matter to me. ;D
Fat cap up or fat cap down is the subject of much debate. In the calmer of these discussions, someone is still going to get hurt.
Some say fat down to keep the heat from drying the bottom out. Some say fat side up to self baste all the way through the brisket. Some say flip the brisket half way through for the best of both worlds.
The answer is, everyone is right. Cap up or cap down depends on the smoker; whether it is a vertical or horizontal, the protective heat and smoke plate, how the heat travels through the smoker, the position of the exhaust chimney, the protective rub or slather, the frequency of basting, the temperature and the amount of moisture involved.
Mostly, in the unmodified Bradley (I do not have any experience with a modified Bradley), I would suggest fat cap up, even though I have smoked several briskets and left the bottom brisket fat cap down because it was being basted from the brisket above while being protected from the heat below by the fat cap down. This is counter intuitive because the heat source is from the bottom. Normally, I would place the protective fat cap toward the heat source.
A person needs to know their smoker and how to use it. In the Bradley, if I use a mustard slather or other protective coating, I generally go fat cap up due to high moisture content, low heat, adjustable heat circulation, convenience and lack of memory cells to tell me when to flip, twist or somersault (alcohol may be a contributing factor of the later).
When I say adjustable heat circulation, I am referring to a method I use in the Bradley. If the bottom of the brisket seems to be drying, lay a piece of foil on a flipped empty basket underneath the brisket (not the rack the brisket is sitting on), blocking the middle of the rack. If the foil tries to move around, press it between two baskets. You can also form a bowl and add water for more moisture and a further lowering of the heat directly beneath the brisket. The direct heat will bypass the bottom of the brisket and the heat differential between the top and bottom of the brisket will lessen.
OU has suggested to form a bowl and catch the drippings for a gravy or to add back to the meat. He pours a warm beer into the bowl. I like that idea.
Good luck and slow smoking,
Pachanga