# Pellet smoker - Brisket fat cap



## rhaugle (Feb 26, 2017)

Hey guys,

Curious what people have found works best for pellet smokers and the fat cap on briskets... up or down? I have a GMG DB if that matters... I would think not, as most of these things run the same way.


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## SmokinAl (Feb 26, 2017)

I really don't think it matters what kind of smoker your using. 

As long as you are using indirect heat, I would smoke it with the fat cap up.

I like to trim the fat cap down to about 1/4" and score it too.

Al


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## mowin (Feb 26, 2017)

I'm with Al on this one.  
I think a equally fine brisket can be had with the fat cap either up or down. 

My last  couple I did fat cap up, came out great.


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## paul6 (Feb 26, 2017)

I always start with the Fat down for the 1st hour or so then flip for the remainder of the smoke . This seems to give me a more uniformed bark .

IMHO ?


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## newqreview (Apr 7, 2017)

I always did fat cap up in the electric MES however I did my first Brisket on my then new Pellet Pro last fall fat cap up and dried out the bottom.

I'm getting ready for another brisket on the pellet and will try fat side down this round. It was real good but about a 1/2" or so was wasted... 













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## bangster (Apr 8, 2017)

I have the experience of the total of 1 brisket done on my pellet smoker. I went with the fat cap down to protect the bottom. I didn't do the greatest job getting it trimmed down so it was thick in places, but it came out great, and I would do it again that way. I don't buy into the putting it on top so the meat is basted by it, I don't think it "melts" and flows through the meat, that also leaves the meat side to spritz or mop.

I don't think there is a wrong way, and I am sure there are arguments for doing it the fat up way that I didn't think about or find that might change my mind.


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## crankybuzzard (Apr 8, 2017)

I look at the fat cap as sacrificial so I usually put it on the bottom when I think to do it.    Most of the time, I just stick them in the pit however they come off of the pan I carry them out on.


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## tbrtt1 (Apr 8, 2017)

I used to be a fat cap up but now I do them fat cap down. It yields better bark and adds protection under, IMHO. 

So, based on the level of talent of the pit masters that have chimed in on this thread, either way should be fine!


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## idahopz (Apr 8, 2017)

I'm using a Traeger with Pellet Pro PID, and place the meat point side down with the flat at the farther end of my cooker where the temperature is typically a bit lower. My logic is that the point contains so much fat that it is hard to ruin, and having it closer to the heat source in the Traeger protects the thinner flap above and helps prevent drying of the flat.

Because I am not that experienced with doing brisket yet, I actually monitor the temperature in the point and in the farthest part of the flat. Depending on the temperature or each, I'll decide what to do.


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## bregent (Apr 8, 2017)

>I don't buy into the putting it on top so the meat is basted by it, I don't think it "melts"

>and flows through the meat, that also leaves the meat side to spritz or mop.

The purpose of basting is not to have fat or liquid flow through the meat - that can't happen -  it's to keep the surface from drying out. I usually cooked my brisket fat up but last week I tried it fat down. After about 6 hours I checked on it and noticed the sides were drying out badly. So I flipped it over and the fat started dripping down and moistened the sides. I'm pretty sure if I left it down the full 12 hours that it took, the sides would have turned out too dry. Of course YMMV depending on your setup. Some cookers have high radiant heat on the bottom, so cooking fat down might be better. The Memphis has pretty even heat, so fat up seems to work better. It's really best to try it both ways, several times, and draw your own conclusions.


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## BbqPaul (Oct 26, 2017)

Hmmm, some great advice and perspectives indeed. I've only done one brisket so far so I'm certainly working on my learning curve. I wrecked it. I trimmed my fat cap to a quarter inch and went fat cap up. I made the mistake of trusting my temperature gauge on the Cabellas Magnum Pellet Smoker (made by Camp Chef). I started with a 17lbs full packer at what should've been 225 degrees. I put my brisket on the smoker at 11:00pm and checked it at 05:30am and it was about 213 degrees internal. Overdone. I was expecting a much longer cook and the smoker temperature reading was obviously much hotter because no way I should've hit that meat temp in six hours. Lesson learned. I'll use my after market temp probes from here on out. I know Myron Mixen promotes fat cap down and Aaron Franklin promotes fat cap up. I'll be trying both methods to see which yields better results for me with my smoker. 
Thanks for all the intell y'all. 

Paul


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## jbk90 (Oct 26, 2017)

When I do brisket on my pellet I typically start fat side up for the first hour or two and then flip to fat side down. To avoid any potential drying of the meat I spritz with AC vinegar every hour or two. For me personally I always seemed to get better bark with the fat cap down and relatively even cooking from top to bottom.

Another thing I noticed for cooking a full packer on my GMG DB is that if I offset the heat shield just a bit I can run slightly hotter on one side of the grate (I typically try to get the side closest to the pellet hopper to be the hot one so the air then flows over the meat to the exhaust. This lets me put the point closer to the hopper end and hopefully allows the point and flat to finish at the same time.


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## lwestby (Oct 31, 2017)

I trim the fat to around 1/4" and run the fat cap down (toward the heat source).  This is what works best for me on a pellet grill.


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## lothar1974 (Nov 1, 2017)

Fat cap down for me and mop the top. Havent done a ton but havent dried one out yet.


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