Pork on top or bottom?


 
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I'm planning on cooking an 8lb brisket and two butts (~7lb and ~5lb)for an office party for a friend who retires Wednesday after 30 yrs. on the job. Assuming I can fit both butts on a single grate, the first questions is: should the butts go on top or bottom?

Based on the larger butt and brisket size, I'm planning on approx. 14-16 hrs. overnight at 225-245 top grate(pulled pork at around 195 internal, and sliced beef around 185). Will the smaller butt need to be taken off sooner?

Thanks for the advice...
 
If I was cooking a brisket and butts, I would put the butts on the bottom and the brisket fat side down on the top rack. The butts will help to keep the brisket from drying out. I think the butts will be finished first. Just remove them and place the brisket back on the top rack. That's how I would do it. Someone else might have a different idea. Two heads are better than one.
 
Conventional wisdom says put the butts on top and let them baste the brisket below. The warmer top grate would also be my choice for butts in this case. Brisket fat-side up or down is personal choice. As I understand, some competition teams are now doing brisket fat-side down, but I can't say I understand just why.

The 5-pounder should be ready sooner than the 7, but, in the overall scheme of things, not by much.
 
Lindsay, I would put the butts on top as they will render the pork fat, which will drip down on the brisket and keep it moist. I am new at this but when I did my first overnighter, someone told me this was the way to do it and they came out great.
Lane
 
It depends on how much clearance you have on the sides of the top grate with the butts on it . I like to have butts and brisket inside the cylindrical plane on the water pan. So it depends on the fit.
 
Doug

The reason for putting briskets fat side down is because the heat from the long cooks tend to dry out the bottoms of the briskets. The fat tends to wick up. If you fry a hamburger you see all the juices rising up and the bottom browns. Like you said it's a personal choice.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Tony Serra:
[qb]The reason for putting briskets fat side down is because the heat from the long cooks tend to dry out the bottoms of the briskets.[/qb] <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>If you turn your briskets at the halftimes like Paul Kirk suggests, you won't get a dry (overcooked) bottom. I suppose if you didn't want to turn a brisket, then I guess cooking it fat side down the entire time would make sense.

Regards,
Chris
 
If you cook a brisket fat side down with 2 butts over the top of it, the non-fat cap side stays moist when done correctly. The fat can take the drying effects of the radiant heat better.
Jim
 
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