1st Brisket Flat_Question & Qview

[abomb]

Good Morning,

So I started my New Years Eve smoke around 6:30 this morning. I am doing a 9 lbs. Bone in Pork Shoulder Boston Butt, a 4 lbs. Brisket Flat, about 30 ABT's, Smoked Baked Beans, and other misc stuff off the smoker. I have a few questions about the Brisket. There is about a 1/2" thick piece of fat on the bottom of the Flat and I was wondering if I should trim any of that off before smoking or just wait until after? Also,should I flip the brisket at all during the smoke or leave the fat side up or down?



Out of the package



Rubbed and marinated. Use pepper, seasoning salt, garlic salt and a lite rub that I used on my pork.

 

[fatback joe]

I am a leave the fat on and fat side down kind of guy. Most of which is personal preference, but on that little guy I would recommend leaving it on....those small flats are easy to dry out and the fat on would help protect him a bit.

Good luck with the smoke whatever you chose to do.

 

[meat hunter]

To trim, or not to trim. To flip or not to flip, that is the question. LOL

Its really up to you. Some will trim, other will not. Excessive fat I would say trim off, but 1/2", leave it on. Most of it will render out when smoking, and if you put your beans under the brisket while smoking and let it drip into it, makes for some mighty tasty beans

.
As far as flipping, again some will, some won't. Its a matter of preference. I will flip sometimes. Fat side down or up. LOL. Yup, its what ever you like. Some say fat side up as it helps the fat leach thru and baste the meat, while others say fat side down to protect the meat from the heat. Both ways make sense. I like fat side up, it works for me.

But I only do that when the moon is full and the planets are aligned, and then only if that falls on a Tuesday and the humidity is under 50% and I have my lucky socks on, otherwise its fat side down. LOL

Just kidding, I couldn't help that one. When it comes to your questions, there is no right or wrong answer. It is whatever works for you. Just remember to watch your temps on both the smoker and the meat, making sure you are really smoking at the temps your therm say you are and you will be fine

 

[fatback joe]

 

[igolf2]

I do my briskets with a modified hot-and-fast process now - start fat side up at 225 til the brisket reaches 140 - ramp up the temp to 325-350 til 160 then foil til done.
I find the initial 225 period produces the right amount of smoky flavor I want and then the higher heat finishes and sets the bark.

 

[abomb]

That's funny stuff! I think I am just going to flip. To me it seems like it would solve the problem of fat up or down. Right? FYI, I've also got a pork shoulder thread going as well, please feel free to give suggestios there. Thanks fellas!

 

[fire it up]

I never flip my briskets, never really even thought about it but normally I throw a full packer on and that would be a pain to flip.
Sure it wouldn't hurt any just be careful so you don't accidentally tear off some of your rub in the process.
As for trimming the fat, I used to leave about 1/8" on but after watching that damn Myron Mixon doing his damn brisket that damn way and trimming all the damn fat off the damn thing, I decided to give it a damn try and damned if it didn't still produce a damn good damn brisket.

Sorry, just trying to talk like Myron, I can't stand that SOB (no offense to SmokingOhioButcher

) but you can't argue with his comp winning results.
Though he drowns his fire with lighter fluid when he starts it...
Something wrong with that cocky SOB and it would be worth getting into competition, focusing on one thing and beating him, slapping him around so bad with tasty meat, maybe then the guy would realize he isn't a God.

 

[Dutch]

ABOMB, I too have a GOSM smoker (w/sfb) that I use for smaller smokes that would get lost in the Lang.

When doing briskets or butts in the GOSM I do them fat side down (untrimmed) for the following reason:

1. The GOSM is a verticle smoker with a water pan. Heat rises-unless you stay on top of it, the water pan will boil dry and you're temps will spike.
2. With the fat cap down, the fat will act as a barrier between the heat(temp spikes) and the meat.
3. The fat that doesn't stick to your cooking grates will come right off by scrapping it with the back edge of a knife or come off when you run your gloved hand over the fat.

 

[ciolli]

You sound exactly like him... eerily like him.

 

[triplebq]

That brisket will be done in 4 hours easy . Watch the temp and cook it the way you want . Fat side down protects the meat from burning if the box gets too hot . After cooking wrap it in foil as SOON as you can as tight as you can . Let it sit at leasat 35 to 45 minutes before cutting . Just my .02 cents from Texas

 

[mballi3011]

As the a personally preforance I like to trim and large fat cap maybe in half one reason is that I will use it for sausage making in the future. But then I like to smoke my brisket fat up cause thats the way I was shown to and all ways have done it that way. Once again this is my perforance to smoke it with e fat up and let the fat melt and keep all the meat under it alittle more moist to me. Now as far as flippin it the meat was put in fat up and it will be removed fat side up. Done.

 

[triplebq]

I think that could be Jack's Old South ~ The mouth of the South ! Now Myron I am only kidding ....

 

[beer-b-q]

What about during a Blue Moon like tonight... The next one on New Years Eve will be 2028