fat up or down on pork lions
I would say fat up. That way the rendering fat will self-baste the loin and help keep it moist.
Ditto on that, fat side up!
C
Agreed!
UNANIMOUS!!!
fat side always goes up!!! FLBR knows his fat!!!!
Chrispy
Sorry to crash the party but I'm a fat down guy! 8)
Always open to new ideas. Is there a reason for your preference for fat side down? It seems to defeat the purpose of a fat cap to me. ???
FAT UP!!
Well its how you look at it. Everyone sees it a different way. I think that heat rising over the brisket is the primary source of drying. By using the fat cap of the brisket as a shield between the heat and the meat you will get a more tender brisket with a lot less surface drying. The meat of the brisket then sits on a slab of fat, its like a fat "hot tub".
Meat is not a sponge. All if not most of the fat from the melting cap is going to pour over and around the meat and drip off the bottom. This action will actually wash off some of your spice rub. The idea that the fat on top is actually going to baste and pass through the brisket is just bad science. Its going to melt from the outside in and drip right off the sides.
Just my $0.02
with the fat cap down, the fat just goes in the drip pan. At least that is the way I understand gravity to work. I believe fat is heavier than air.......... IMVHO. Maybe we need to consult Alton Brown??? Now I am curious.....
Chrispy
thanks everyone did fat up in the fridge now parties tomorrow will see how they taste did the salt and water brine
Hey Dogg...at such a low temp....don't you think the fat would melt more into the meat then pour off the sides? Just a question?
I smoke fat side down.
I'm not saying either way is right or wrong, what ever works for a person is fine. As SmokeDogg previously stated there are some that smoke fat side down, for the reasons that he has stated. Others argue to smoke fat side up, because the fat (not that it seeps through the meat) will baste the meat while it renders, thus keeping it moist; moist does not mean greasy. There are others who state to start fat side down, and then flip half way through the cooking time to ensure even cooking. And there is another group that states flip the brisket ever so often and baste.
Habs...you don't think the underside of the fat seeps into the meat? I understand the top/sides...melt off...just looking to learn?
The last brisket I did was a 9lb packer cut in half, I smoked it for 14 hours fat side up the entire time @ 200deg, no basting, then wrapped in foil and put back into the smoked set to arounf 150 deg and left for 6-7 hours.
The entire brisket was so tender it turned into pulled brisket and it was still moist not one part was dry.
I got lucky.
Quote from: La Quinta on August 16, 2008, 07:25:17 PM
Habs...you don't think the underside of the fat seeps into the meat? I understand the top/sides...melt off...just looking to learn?
I don't know the answer to that question. It's something to research. Fat side up, you can say the meat will baste itself. The main function of basting is not for juices and fats to seep into the meat (there may be some, I'm not sure). The main thing that basting does is to protect the outer surface of the meat from the high heat, while the internal temperature rises. In doing so, there is less loss of moisture from within the meat.
I do it fat side up if for no other reason than believing it will allow for more smoke adhesion. I know I'm pretty well off-base on this one, but smoking food is as much psychological as it is physical (much like golf, for me) ;D I guess the thing is that either way you do it, the meat still turns out extremely tender and that's the end goal for everyone. I would assume there would be more smoke hitting the underside of the meat than at the top where it is being drawn over the food on it's way up through the tower vent. However, I'm not a rocket scientist or a food scientist and have no proof or logic to back me up. However, I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night ;)
Its probably more mental than anything. I wonder if one could even tell the difference in a blind taste test which one was smoked fat up and fat down. I suppose if you wanted the most moist brisket possible you could inject the meat, put your rub on it, smoke it fat side down and baste the top, then both sides are protected. Also, in my brisket research, I've found that brisket master Jim Minion swears by fat side down and he's probably forgotten more about smoking than I'll ever know. This is the kind of stuff that makes smoking so much fun!!! ;D
Fat side up.
:-\
The fat on top does reduce with the cook. The reduction by loss of moisture does seep some both on the outside and thru the inside, in smoking at low temps a lot of the cooking happens with moisture transferring heat. The fat on top caps the moisture loss thru the top where internal moisture would be lost as well as some of the heat energy as it rises.
:-\
So how is it a fat down ever cooks properly? ??? I have no clue but hey Smoking Duck, I guess that was you at the H I Express. I was going to say something but then was not sure it was you :D
Yea, that was me, stuffing all the muffins in my computer case ;D
Thought so, I got all that pink, yellow, blue and white sugar by the coffee pot. Take Care, 8)