{"id":561,"date":"2022-02-08T07:52:07","date_gmt":"2022-02-08T07:52:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pitmastercentral.com\/?p=561"},"modified":"2023-09-13T10:22:59","modified_gmt":"2023-09-13T10:22:59","slug":"brisket-fat-side-up-or-down","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pitmastercentral.com\/brisket-fat-side-up-or-down\/","title":{"rendered":"Answering the Age Old Question: Brisket Fat Side Up or Down"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The brisket can be placed either fat side up or down, depending on specific factors such as the smoker.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even coming from a dedicated BBQ family, trying to figure out whether to place brisket fat side up or down took a great deal of time and effort. Fortunately, we were able to figure it out and now I can share the trick with you too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this post, I will show you whether one method is really better than the other and which one you should try out for yourself. Let’s get started!<\/p>\n\n\n

\"brisket<\/figure>\n\n\n

Smoking Brisket: Fat Cap Up or Down?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

You should know that the question of whether you should place the brisket fat side up or down has been a hot debate for a long time. And, to make things more confusing, few people can seem to agree on an answer!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Just as many pitmasters that say you should place the brisket with the fat side up advise the reverse as well. You will realize why there is so much disagreement as you read on…<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cooking Brisket Fat Side Up<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Lets take a look at what you can expect when you cook brisket fat side up:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For the longest time, this was the only way used when smoking brisket. This was because people assumed<\/a> that a particular process was taking place when the meat<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"person<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

As you are well aware, when the temperature is high enough, fat melts. For the longest time, everyone imagined that the meat below the melting fat acted like a sponge, soaking in the juices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, this theory has its limits and much of that melted fat simply slips off the meat. As you can imagine, there is little use to the fat dripping off. Thus, little moisture is absorbed this way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This doesn’t mean that cooking fat side up isn’t the way to go. After all, the highly celebrated pitmaster Aaron Franklin follows this method<\/a>. You simply have to remember that there are pros and cons associated with this cooking process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Advantages<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

It doesn’t matter that the meat doesn’t absorb moisture in the way that everyone assumed. This is because the fat on the meat can work to protect the meat from excess heat, particularly if the direct heat source is from top. There is also more rendered fat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In doing so, you get a delicious and juicy brisket. This is great for this type of low and slow cooking when smoking beef brisket<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Disadvantages<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

It isn’t all smooth sailing when cooking with the brisket fat cap side up, though.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The biggest issue here is with the melting fat that falls either on the drip pan or the coals below. Not only does this take a lot of the flavor off the meat, but it can also cause the seasoning in your rub to slide right off as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As for the bark, it only really forms on the bottom, creating an uneven appearance and crunch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cooking Brisket Fat Side Down<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

An increasing number of people are beginning to cook brisket fat side down. Here are some of the reasons why:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Advantages<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

When the heat source is below the meat, placing the brisket fat side down protects the meat from an excess of heat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The other benefit of this is that you can’t really smoke fat. Therefore, when the meat and not the fat cap is closer to the smoke, the brisket is infused with a far better smoke flavor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There is also better bark formation with this method and the meat doesn’t stick to the grill grates as much. Since presentation is important with competition briskets, this method is being adopted by many.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Disadvantages<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

The main downside with making smoked brisket with the fat side down is that there is a greater risk of the meat drying out. Thus, you have to find ways to counteract this problem by spritzing with liquid on a regular basis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Role of the Smoker<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

As mentioned, I struggled to figure out which side I should place the fat cap on when smoking a brisket for a while. After all, each method has its own set of disadvantages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After enough of research and testing, though, I realized that the main variable<\/a> to focus on was the smoker’s heat source. See, some smokers, such as the horizontal offset style smoker produce top heat Others such as the vertical, Weber Smokey Mountain, and Kamado grills produce it from the bottom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Smokers also produce two types of heat – convection and radiant heat. Convection heat is what flows around the brisket, gently smoking the brisket. Radiant heat travels in a straight line, however, and it risks searing the the meat more quickly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Therefore, when you place the fat cap closer to the heat source, the fat acts as a barrier or as a form of insulation. The fat cooks and melts first and the meat is allowed to cook at a lower rate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is why I would argue that there is no “right” answer when it comes to fat cap up or down as brisket cooks. Rather, you have to think about what kind of smoker you have.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you’ve got heat coming from the top, then place the brisket fat side up. In case, the heat comes from the bottom, then place the fat side down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Related Reading<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n