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BRISKET - FAT UP OR DOWN?

ThaMav12
ThaMav12 Posts: 27
edited November -1 in EggHead Forum
Just wondering what the best choice is for Brisket...

Fat side up, or fat side down?

To Mop or not to mop?

225 or 250 for temp?

Wood of choice?

For low and slow, for this duration, how often do you need to add lump in?

Comments

  • TNmike
    TNmike Posts: 643
    I go with 'fat down' but there are several in the 'fat up' club also. So I guess try both at some point and choose what works best for you. I never mop a brisket. I go with 250*, easier for me to maintain than 225*. I like pecan and maybe a little hickory for smoke on brisket.

    If you go with 225* dome it is around 200* at the grid so will take a very long time get the brisket to the tender point. Tender varies with brisket from 190* to 200*.
  • pissclams
    pissclams Posts: 49
    I go fat down as well, I think the fat helps protect the meat from the direct heat, similar to the plate setter.

    I use hickory/cherry/apple with my brisket but am planning on throwing some pecan in this weekend to try it.

    Load your egg up to the top of the smoke ring and you won't have to worry about reloading it at all during your brisket smoke.

    I also cook mine at 250 dome.
  • vidalia1
    vidalia1 Posts: 7,092
    Down & 250 but

    I cook my brisket at 375 for 2 1/2 hrs then foil (no juice) then wrap in HDAF and cook at 375 for 1 1/2 hrs or until the meat temp is 200 (but the thermometer probe has to go in like butter)

    Seperate the flat & point, put flat in HDAF in towel & cooler & reserve juice. Cook point for another 2 hours then seperate meat from fat. Cut meat into chunks and put in AF pan with favorite BBQ sauce & cook for another hour...OMG good...cut flat against the grain for best results.

    Defat reserved juice and mix with 1/3 cup juice, 1/3 cup water & 1/3 cup BBQ sauce and heat together. Brush over brisket as glaze when sliced...
  • Cecil
    Cecil Posts: 771
    I am in the fat down camp also. I find it handy when I remove the brisket that the fat tends to stick to the grid thus being removed from the meat.

    Walt
  • Village Idiot
    Village Idiot Posts: 6,959
    Up/down - I really don't think it matters. Some of the old offset smokers said it keeps the direct heat from the smoker from burning the meat, but there's disagreements in that crowd too. You'll probably be using a plate setter, so that shouldn't be a consideration. Me? I do fat side up, hoping for a little penetration of the fat into the meat.

    I never mop.

    I split the difference . 235 °. 225 ° will take longer, but again, I don't think it matters much. You will get tender brisket either way if you do it right.

    I use oak and mesquite on brisket, sometimes hickory. I save my pecan for pork and chicken.

    twocents.gif
    __________________________________________

    Dripping Springs, Texas.
    Just west of Austintatious


  • Sooner Egg
    Sooner Egg Posts: 578
    I'm in the fat down camp, I've done them both ways and honestly have never really noticed a whole lot of difference.....I never mop, 250 is my preferred temp, I like hickory for my briskets and with a full bowl of lump I've never had to add any additional lump.....my 2 cents
  • Fat: I've tried up and down, several times each and didn't notice a whole lot of difference. I've been doing up recently, since the plate setter or stone protects from the heat coming up from the coals, and the fat on top may protect from the radiant heat coming off the inside of the dome. Not sure it actually does anything, but that's the theory I'm trying at the moment.

    I don't mop. I'm a 'set it and forget it' type for most low and slow cooks on the egg. The Egg helps food retain its moisture, so you don't need to mop to keep it from drying out. Plus staying up all night to mop on a 12+ hour cook isn't fun.

    If you start at a lower temp, chances are you'll get additional smoke flavor in your meat, but it will take longer to cook, and it's harder (not impossible) to keep the Egg temp stable below 250. I usually just start and leave mine at 250 for simplicity's sake.

    I generally use hickory, oak, or a blend of the two on brisket.

    You won't need to refill the lump on an Egg low and slow cook. I've run mine for 30+ hours on a single load. Just fill halfway up the fire ring with good sized pieces of fresh lump, and be sure to clean out all the ash and small bits of lump from under the firebox before you start. Light in multiple spots (I do 4) to reduce the chance of the fire from burning straight down instead of spreading.

    Good luck!

    -John
  • NCSU-Q
    NCSU-Q Posts: 104
    I did a packer for the first time last weekend.

    Dead Simple!! Rubbed it with Dizzy Pig - Cow Lick about 24 hours ahead of time. BGE @ 230 (indirect), couple chunks of hickory; put it on (fat side down), and let it sit until it hit 190 internal. , I put it on the BGE at about 10:30 AM with the cooker stabilized at 230. At about 4:30 (6 hours), I ramped it up to 250, and at 5:30 (7 hours), I ramped it up to 275 (increased the pit temp b/c I was ready to eat!!). The meat hit 190 at about 6:15 (+/- 8 hours total). Pulled it off, rested it for 30 minutes, sliced and served.

    It turned out GREAT! Much better than the flats that I had tried previously, and on those I used mustard in addition to the rub, pulled it off at 160-ish, wrapped in foil with beef broth then put it back on, etc. The flats were much more work and not nearly as good.... not even close!!
    Due to time constraints, I left the point attached and sliced so that I was across the grain of the flat (with the grain of the point). The point was tender enough that it was not a problem.

    This was as easy as a Butt cook, and the end product did not even need sauce.

    Doing another this weekend with a coffee based rub. I plan to get it on the BGE earlier, remove the point when the flat hits 190, and put the point back on for burnt ends. Might run the pit at 235 to make sure I have time for the burnt ends.
  • Morro Bay Rich
    Morro Bay Rich Posts: 2,227
    Any chance of turning your CAPS LOCK key off when you type your titles? It seems to be stuck. :huh:
  • Rascal
    Rascal Posts: 3,923
    I SECOND THAT!! 8 - )
  • Rascal
    Rascal Posts: 3,923
    Have yet to attempt a brisket but your simple approach might spur me on! Is it true that this cut quickly renders its juices and doesnt do well on 'hold' for any length of time? TIA for any hints!!~~
  • chrono
    chrono Posts: 177
    I go indirect 250 with fat down until it hits 165. Then I wrap with foil and flip to have fat up until done. Then wrap in towel, put it in the cooler for an hour or so. It comes out juicy every time .. yum!
  • EggSimon
    EggSimon Posts: 422
    imho:

    fat down

    dome @ 245 F

    dont wrap (destroys the bark)

    mesquite, hickory or oak

    if ya built a good fire, ya can cook 30 hours @ 245 in a large. So, no lump refill is neccessary.

    Keep us notified and take pics !

    Wish ya a great cook !
  • vidalia1
    vidalia1 Posts: 7,092
    No wrapping does not destroy the bark..maybe if you add liquid it will but I don't add liquid and I have plenty of bark...
  • EggSimon
    EggSimon Posts: 422
    vidalia1 wrote:
    No wrapping does not destroy the bark..maybe if you add liquid it will but I don't add liquid and I have plenty of bark...

    Thanks for that post, I´ve to give it a try. Wrapping w/o liquid adding. I have always added white wine so far into the foil. Perhaps this was a mistake.
  • Big'un
    Big'un Posts: 5,909
    For me, fat down.
  • SGT BBQ
    SGT BBQ Posts: 190
    I keep my dome at 250 so the meat is being cooked around 235 or so. I cook with fat up. I dont mop but thats becuase I'm lazy and dont notice that much of a difference.
  • mint-tulip
    mint-tulip Posts: 171
    A moist brisket will produce enough juice so that is why I don't add any...just my 2 cents.. ;)
  • Jai-Bo
    Jai-Bo Posts: 584
    I have done em fat up cause the fat melts and keeps the brisket "moist". I injected my last 1 and cooked it fer SEVERAL hours on a full box of coal. I use bad byrons butt rub on about everything....
    Hunting-Fishing-Cookin' on my EGG! Nothing else compares!