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Brisket, up or down?
#8279563
05/29/21 09:38 AM
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Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 574
Pigsicles
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Posts: 574 |
Age old debate of cooking a packer trimmed brisket low and slow with the fat side up or down? I see recipes calling for cooking them both ways. I have a 14# well trimmed whole brisket on the Traeger currently and have the fat side up. Your preferred method?
Pulsar Trail XQ50 Pulsar HD 19A
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Re: Brisket, up or down?
[Re: Pigsicles]
#8279570
05/29/21 10:07 AM
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Joined: May 2011
Posts: 27,891
skinnerback
THF Celebrity Chef
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Low & slow/indirect heat - fat side up.
Hot & fast/direct heat - fat side down.
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Re: Brisket, up or down?
[Re: Pigsicles]
#8279571
05/29/21 10:10 AM
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Joined: Jul 2019
Posts: 14,027
Hudbone
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Re: Brisket, up or down?
[Re: Pigsicles]
#8279580
05/29/21 10:38 AM
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Joined: Nov 2011
Posts: 9,835
unclebubba
THF Trophy Hunter
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I wasn't aware that there was even a debate. Here's my current situation...
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Re: Brisket, up or down?
[Re: Pigsicles]
#8279586
05/29/21 11:08 AM
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Joined: Jul 2019
Posts: 14,027
Hudbone
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not saying it's a bad thing, I just don't think I have ever cooked a brisket on direct heat
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Re: Brisket, up or down?
[Re: Hudbone]
#8279591
05/29/21 11:39 AM
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Joined: May 2005
Posts: 2,395
Huntmaster
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Re: Brisket, up or down?
[Re: Pigsicles]
#8279592
05/29/21 11:39 AM
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Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 91,416
bill oxner
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Quail hunting is like walking into, and out of a beautiful painting all day long. Gene Hill
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Re: Brisket, up or down?
[Re: Pigsicles]
#8279648
05/29/21 01:16 PM
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Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 16,582
68rustbucket
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I think it depends on the smoker. I did my last one down, it turned out rely good.
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Re: Brisket, up or down?
[Re: Pigsicles]
#8279654
05/29/21 01:21 PM
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Joined: Jan 2015
Posts: 2,981
pertnear
"Demolition Man"
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"Demolition Man"
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"Who controls the past controls the future. Who controls the present controls the past.” - George Orwell
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Re: Brisket, up or down?
[Re: Pigsicles]
#8279675
05/29/21 01:35 PM
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Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 43,769
Stub
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Fat up when smoking
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Re: Brisket, up or down?
[Re: 68rustbucket]
#8279777
05/29/21 03:46 PM
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Joined: May 2011
Posts: 27,891
skinnerback
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I think it depends on the smoker. I did my last one down, it turned out rely good. It absolutely depends on the smoker & heat source.
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Re: Brisket, up or down?
[Re: Pigsicles]
#8279794
05/29/21 04:05 PM
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Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 574
Pigsicles
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I have always been a fat side up on the Traeger but last night I was looking at brisket recipes on the Traeger site and found about half calling for fat side down. Anyways, I started smoking at 9 last night for 4 hours. Then raised Temp to 225 and cooked till it hit 160 ( about 4 hours) wrapped it in foil with some Coca Cola and finished till it hit 204 about 3 more hours. It’s resting wrapped up in the ice chest till family, friends and “ others” get here at 1:00 for lunch. It was a “triple cook for the chef...... Herradura, shots last night, Bloody Mary early and now beer. Cook and meat will be perfect shortly.
Pulsar Trail XQ50 Pulsar HD 19A
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Re: Brisket, up or down?
[Re: Pigsicles]
#8279808
05/29/21 04:11 PM
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Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 8,252
bobcat1
THF Trophy Hunter
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Hanging.... LOL in a Pit Barrel.
Back when I had a pellet pooper I cooked fat side down until I wrapped it at about 165. I flipped it then. Always turned out great.
Bobby Barnett
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Re: Brisket, up or down?
[Re: Stub]
#8279827
05/29/21 04:28 PM
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Joined: Nov 2017
Posts: 19,129
Biscuit
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Fat up when smoking Me too
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Re: Brisket, up or down?
[Re: Pigsicles]
#8280028
05/29/21 09:13 PM
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Joined: Jan 2014
Posts: 12,706
Paluxy
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On the stick burner I always went fat side up, on the pellet smoker I go fat side down. You can also get away with a lot more trimming on the pellet smoker. I smoke over a water pan too
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Re: Brisket, up or down?
[Re: Hudbone]
#8280136
05/29/21 11:35 PM
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Joined: May 2011
Posts: 27,891
skinnerback
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not saying it's a bad thing, I just don't think I have ever cooked a brisket on direct heat I've cooked several out working on the road in an Ol' Smokey & Weber Kettle, fat side down/direct heat. Turned out surprisingly well, just keep your fire small. Not as good as my usual briskets but sure made some meals.
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Re: Brisket, up or down?
[Re: Pigsicles]
#8280428
05/30/21 01:22 PM
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Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 4,498
TPACK
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I always put fat up and the point end towards the fire.
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Re: Brisket, up or down?
[Re: Pigsicles]
#8280445
05/30/21 02:13 PM
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Joined: May 2010
Posts: 4,434
1955
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Extreme Tracker
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Fat side up seems to keep the meat juicer if it’s smoked right, never cooked one on direct heat!
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Re: Brisket, up or down?
[Re: Stub]
#8280928
05/31/21 02:41 AM
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Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 68,999
NORML as can be
^^Cut the Cord^^
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^^Cut the Cord^^
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Posts: 68,999 |
Fat up when smoking Helps keeping the meat most.
(R-TX) .-- " TCNN CURL CRLB VFF VRNO AYR SNDL CGC TLRY MSOS "
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Re: Brisket, up or down?
[Re: NORML as can be]
#8280961
05/31/21 03:02 AM
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Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 6,284
scalebuster
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I smoke mine starting fat side up for two hours and theN Flip it for another two hours. After that I wrap it fat side up and finish it in the oven or pit without anymore smoke. I really don’t think it matters. It will always turn out good as long as you cook it low and slow.
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Re: Brisket, up or down?
[Re: skinnerback]
#8281621
06/01/21 02:00 AM
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Joined: Jul 2018
Posts: 857
Thisisbeer
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I think it depends on the smoker. I did my last one down, it turned out rely good. It absolutely depends on the smoker & heat source. 100% the only thing IMO that matters is the heat source location. If it's directly under the meat like a barrel smoker, vertical smoker, kamado joe, etc. the fat goes down. This keeps the fat between the heat and the meat which keeps the meat from drying out. On an offset, the hottest part of the grill is towards the top of the lid. So fat side up for the same reason. At the end of the day, it depends on how picky you are. All the little crap you do makes your brisket a little better. Do none of the little stuff and you can have a really good brisket. Do all the little stuff right and it will be great. But how much work do you really want to do to make something really good just a little better? I'm talking injecting the meat, let it sit seasoned overnight, keep full airflow to the fire and don't choke it, adjust the wood every 20 minutes to keep the temperature where you want it, don't use pellet grills, spritz the thin spots so the whole brisket cooks at the rate you want it to, buy specialty pepper and then age it, and all the other crap.
Last edited by Thisisbeer; 06/01/21 02:07 AM.
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Re: Brisket, up or down?
[Re: Pigsicles]
#8281971
06/01/21 03:20 PM
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Joined: Sep 2012
Posts: 12,822
PMK
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agree on location of heat source and heat flow thru the pit. I have a LyfeTyme double door with vertical smoker. The heat flows high in the horizontal chamber and I put fat side up. In the vertical chamber, the heat comes out of the horizontal portion to the far side and then up, so I got fat side down. Growing up, we used 2'x8' open pits (had 10-12) and we would start fat up, but flipped about every hour between mopping.
"everyone that lives dies but not everyone who dies lived..."
~PMK~
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