Help - first brisket cook

[Justin F]

Hi there,

Cooking my first brisket flat this weekend. Started it fat side up, but wondering once I start the mop after a few hours (once an hour) if I should flip it, or just keep the fat side up for the whole cook? Help? Also - do you guys usually keep the bullet at about 225? 9 hours seems to be what the book I have recommends.

Thanks!
-Justin

 

[Bill S.]

I don't flip or mop. I run mine at 250 at the lid.

 

[Gary H. NJ]

Likewise. Easy peasy.

 

[Craig Castille]

Fat side down and I never mop.

Cook time depends on temps cooked at.

Try and judge the briskets finish by it's tenderness (probe or fork slides in with little or no resistance) rather than a finishing temp.

 

[Brad Benski]

Fat Side Down, don't mop, don't flip.

Got one going right now. Lid is mostly stable at 250, had a low of 200 starting out and a 30 minute peak of 275. Brisket is 150 and appears to be hitting a plateau after 2 1/2 hours. When it reaches 160 I'll wrap in foil and finish as per the High Heat Brisket method.

Will document in pictures. Link to be posted in the 'Source of wagyu beef brisket?' thread since I got it from Paradise Meat Locker for 5.66 LB delivered.

Brad.

 

[Justin F]

Wow - so many "no mop" messages? Trust you guys - but what's the reasoning?

 

[Bill S.]

Surprised at the fat side down responses. Interesting.

 

[Tom R (doughboy)]

I've only done a handful of briskets and while none of them turned out to what I would consider *bad*, I'm happier with the results of the ones that I did fat side down and mopping.

I use my own rub that is similar to Dr. BBQ's rub and I mop with a mix of apple juice, rum/jack, and rub. I don't flip my briskets but I did flip my pork shoulder.

 

[Ant C.]

I always understood that with the fat side up, as the meat cooked and the fat rendered off, it was just like basting the meat with the fat juices.

Good luck with your smoke!

 

[Dave/G]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Ant C.:
I always understood that with the fat side up, as the meat cooked and the fat rendered off, it was just like basting the meat with the fat juices.

Good luck with your smoke! </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
The fat rolls off the meat into the water pan. You are basting the water pan. JMO. With flats (I don't cook packers) I like fat side down, particularly if going high heat, to try to prevent the meat side from drying too much. If cooking, for example, butt over brisket, the suggestion is to put the brisket on fat side down so the fat from the butt falls on the meat side of the brisket

 

[Brad Benski]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Justin F:
Wow - so many "no mop" messages? Trust you guys - but what's the reasoning? </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

For me there are several reasons for the fat side down:

1. In a vertical smoker the heat is coming from the bottem. With the old offset smokers the heat came from the sides and you could use the "self basting" aspect of the fat rendering. In the bullet and eggs (which I'm using today) the heat source is underneath the meat and the fat side down adds a bit of protection to the meat. You'll see in the pictures I post later this evening that I also put down some foil at the edges of the brisket which also protect the edges that extend past my heat sink device.

2. I plan on foiling my brisket, which in my opinion leads me to more consistent/predictable finish times. As a result the bark isn't as pronounced on my briskets as one that does not use foil. Having the fat side down help me to get a good color and pseudo bark without worry about burn or too much heat, ala #1 above. Again, when pictures are published you'll see that my trim is very complete and it would be difficult to determine if there really is a "fat side" anymore.

3. Since the brisket is going into foil and braising that is the time to add a "flavorful" liquid and create the layers of flavor as K Kruger would say. Makes my cooking easier, don't open the lid of the smoker until meat temperature is hit, then foil and "braise" with your flavorful liquid and achieve tenderness. The less time worrying over your cook the better. This also makes your fire management and temperature control much better too.

As Charlie Papazian would say "Relax and have a Homebrew"

Brisket went into foil at 3 hours and 15 minutes into the cook. I'm not doing alot of flavor components today, simple injection and simple rub to really get a taste of the Wagyu brisket since it's my first cook with them. A week from Monday I plan another brisket with a more aggressive flavor profile.