Smoking Meat - Fat Side Up vs Fat Side Down
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 10 ก.ย. 2024
- We get this question all the time, should the meat I'm smoking go on the smoker fat-side up, or fat-side down? Hopefully, this will help you answer that question.
What we found is that the shoulder that was smoked fat-side up was more moist. It's not that the fat rendered into the shoulder, but that the fat was constantly melting and dripping over the shoulder during the cook, similar to what you would do with a mop sauce.
But there were some advantages to smoking the shoulder fat-side down. When placing the meat over more direct heat, the fat acted like a heat shield and kept the underside from cooking too fast.
So I guess the answer is "it depends". If we were smoking on a vertical smoker, we would likely smoke it fat-side down. The heat is more direct, and we would want to shield the bottom of the meat a little bit. If we were using an offset smoker, like we are in this video, we found that fat-side up will likely give you better results.
Is this what you found when you do your cooks? Let us know in the comments if you agree or disagree.
I score the fat cap in two directions. I apply pure maple syrup as a binder for the rub. Add a generous amount of rub. Smoke it fat cap up over maple splits. That's all folks.
Could you taste the maple syrup once it finished smoking?
@@jamiehill8025 Well, that depends. One of the reasons that I use maple syrup as a binder is that I am smoking with maple wood. The finished product has that maple smokey flavor.
finally... i do the same, except i have never use maple syrup as a binder...ive used mustard, dijon mustard and molasses mixed... thanks for the tip....will def. try the maple syrup next time.
I have found on brisket i like to start with fat up and finish with it down. This allows the point to render and i can mop the flat to keep it from drying out. Pork butt is better cooked the whole way through fat up. With the fat cap scored. I don't use wrap.
I typically do mine to almost 170 then wrap it in foil or butcher paper and bring to 200. Add some misting or even ginger ale if I’m using foil. Once they reach temp pull and leave wrapped to rest about 45 min - 1 hr. Very tender and more importantly juicy
I always cook it fat side up, I think it’s juicer.
If you think about it, if it’s fat side up. The fat will melt down into the meat. Fat side down, you’re losing good juices to the bottom of the pit.
Fat cap toward the heat source. I have a vertical smoker so it is fat down.
Pretty funny the way the guys walked into frame.
Awesome video, unexpected hilarious ending! 😂😂😂👍
Thanks! I was wondering how many people would see that. lol
Who else enjoys these awesome vids the most WHILE cueing up some smokey goodness?! I got 2 rubbed butts on the kettle right now, offset charcoal in a single Weber cage topped w/ hickory and post oak perfuming the whole yard. Thin blue smoke for most of 3 hrs now, got a full cage of just Kingsford briquettes ready to swap for the next 3. Trimmed nicely, FAT SIDE UP for the whole ride, sprayed once w/ apple juice/cider vinegar mix at 2.5 hrs. I think I'll try wrapping at 165 today instead of naked, then to 205 finish w/ a 2 hr rest before pulling. Looking at midnight before I'll be licking my fingers!
Love this shirt, what a sad life being a Vegan must be after seeing this video....I'm making this right now.
My dude popped from behind the tree had me rolling 😂
Tell me why, as soon as I noticed the vegan shirt was the part where you turned around and saw just kidding 🤣🤣🤣 needed that
That was going to be a proper SaltBae technique
The Salt Bae bit at the end almost cost me a lung. 😂🤣😂
Does temperature on a smoker effect fat side up or fat side down here if you’re cooking at 2:25 or 300° or 275 doesn’t matter
Great smoke. Love smoked pork butt. I am doing one for Thanksgiving. I've always wrapped mine at 160 and let it finish. Never done one unwrapped, may try it. Keep smoking.
Gravity still applies to smoking. Obviously fat side up... there is no debate. If you put the fat side down, the fat cap drips down into the drip pan without passing through the meat.
I agree
Depends on my cooking time. If I’m going for an overnight smoked shoulder I cook cap down to protect the bottom from burning. There’s plenty of internal fat that you don’t need the cap to “drip”
I've been injecting my pork and it turns out pretty good. I have realized I have been trimming too much fat. I'm going to try fat cap up tonight. She's been marinating since last night
Thank you!
Note for future videos: Place a marker on the table face to show which is which. (Fat Side UP and then Fat Side DOWN)
I tried a 13 pounder fat side up for the first time on my Req Teq Bull last weekend. Fire pot on the bottom. I also scored the fat cap and we Picked of the fatty nuggets before we pulled it, amazing.
I immediately started to laugh when I saw your shirt.
Ideas for future smokes, Thanksgiving is right around the corner, smoke a turkey, injected and non injected. Brine and no brine, just a thouht. I like the channel BTW. Good content.
We plan on doing a few live streams for prepping a turkey. They will start Thursday the 19th and have a few every day through Saturday.
Always brine birds!
Try it fat side down for half the cook then turn it fat side up for the rest of the cook.
That's how I do it. Cook it fat size down for about half the time, then wrap it and turn it fat size up. Helps render the fat in my opinion
Action Bronson moved to the suburbs??
Actin Crazy
That salt bit was funny !
You said to it at home. Why, when you can invite us over to your place and try it there.
To be honest on pork shoulder I actually cut the fat cap off
Same or it hardens up and is useless bark.
You don't smoke meat then.
@@starmc26 pork shoulder has so much intermuscular fat the cap isn't needed you are just wasting good bark leaving it on
@@dillonkruckman1846 trimming the fat cap to 1/8th of an inch is best.
@@ezrsaidndone8399 I mean to each their own I prefer to get rid of it cause of all the fat that's in it already. And then I have more bark to mix in with my pork. And its still moist on the inside win win in my book
Awesome vid. Thanks!
Amazing video
Who’s the guy in the red shirt hiding behind the tree at around 6 minutes?
The end made me subscribe lol
If you are smoking a pork belly, does fat side up or down make a difference?
No. Because there is so much fat throughout the meat, fat-side up of fat-side down doesn't make a difference. Also, if you are cold smoking it to make bacon, you aren't smoking it at a high enough temperature to render the fat anyway.
@@SmokingMeatUSA thanks
Trim the fat off or have wasted hard bark
He's cooking pork wearing a shirt that says Vegan lol. At least the meat looked good both ways
The Kyle Blue did you see the back? 🤣
The back says "Just Kidding".
That is some crazy bark!!!!
You had me at just kidding 👊🏽
What a bizarre shirt to wear lol. Subbed and liked.
Read the back of the shirt at 1:21. It's actually a BBQ shirt from my buddies at Brothers Girth BBQ.
Cool vid.
Without watching my guess is little to no difference. Will be back in 10 mins after watching.
Interesting about Smokey taste but makes sense. Also fat side up does appear to be absorb juices into the meat as it cooks. Good video.
Awesome informational educational video experience Y'alls God Bless Ya 🙏 I think fat side up, to get that yum in the meat 🍖 don't trim that fat that yummy fat
No 2 proteins are the same. You really can’t compare 2 different meats to each other. Your left quad and your right quad both come from you but I bet they aren’t the same
If the moisture is close, the difference could very well be the amount of fat difference between the butts. Hard to do a moisture difference test on method when you are using two different pieces of meat. Now if the moisture difference was really great and you could eyeball the fat distribution between the butts, you may have a test. The smoke difference makes sense tho. Interesting tho and those butts look great.👍
I like fat up. So that fat drains into & on the meat
More rub on the boards than the butts
So what about when you trim all the fat off
Those are fighting words....
Jesus, you sponsored by the rub company? That’s a lot of rub
Vegan 😅😂🤣
Vegan eating pork? 😅 just kidding 😅
Always good to see a vegan who is good at smoking a butt. Right on.