As a relative newbie to smoking, I had a few questions on doing a brisket. I am planning to smoke my first brisket in the near future, and right now I am using a 22" Weber Kettle for my smokes. With brisket taking such a long time to smoke, I was planning to use the minion or snake method for the charcoal. Since I think I will have to fill the whole bottom of the kettle with charcoal for this, the brisket will be directly over the heat most of the time. If I put a pan or pans of water under the brisket, will this make it indirect enough that it will still turn out OK?
For brisket, it is better to have the fat cap up or down in this situation? I have read that the fat cap down can be another layer of insulation against heat, but I have also read that some people always smoke with the cap up. I can generally keep my Weber between 275 and 300 degrees for a few hours with a chimney-full of charcoal before I need to add more.
For brisket, it is better to have the fat cap up or down in this situation? I have read that the fat cap down can be another layer of insulation against heat, but I have also read that some people always smoke with the cap up. I can generally keep my Weber between 275 and 300 degrees for a few hours with a chimney-full of charcoal before I need to add more.