Trim. Rinse the meat and dry it with paper towels. If you have a packer, trim off most of the fat cap but leave at least ¼". If you are trimming a packer, until you get the hang of it you might cut off some of the meat while trimming. No harm, no foul. Some cooks will attempt to remove some of the fat layer between the flat and the point by slicing them apart from both sides, but not slicing all the way through so they remain attached. On the meaty side, slice off any silverskin, a tough thin membrane. If you have a good cut of meat, you probably will not need to trim much at all. Just make sure there is no silverskin on the meaty side.
Pump. This is an optional step, but I almost always inject briskets with beef broth. It is essential to pump a tougher cut. If you have a hypodermic for injecting meat, now's the time to use it. Pump in about 1 ounce of beef broth per pound of raw meat by inserting the needle parallel to the grain in several locations about 1" apart and back it out as you press the plunger. Do it in the sink and be careful so you don't get squirted in the eye. Use broth only. All we want here is moisture. We don't want the fluid to mask the flavor of the meat.
Rub. Before you apply the rub, notice the direction of the grain of the flat and remember this so you can carve it perpendicular to the grain. Coat the meat lightly with oil and sprinkle the rub liberally on all exposed meat and rub it in. Not much sense in wasting rub on the fat since most of it will melt off or be cut off by your guests. I coat the meat with oil first because many of the flavors in the rub are oil soluble. If you can, let the meat sit for 1 to 2 hours to allow the rub to penetrate a bit and form a moist paste that will become your crust.
Preheat.It is important to note that brisket is an inexact science, and the timing can vary significantly depending on the size of your brisket, it's moisture and fat content, and the nature of your cooker, not to mention the accuracy of your thermometer. But the method I describe has a long period of resting in an insulated beer cooler, and that time is flexible so you can use that buffer time to keep dinner on schedule. Take the meat out of the fridge about 3 hours early so it is not really cold when you put it in the smoker. Get the temp stabilized at about 235°F. We want to cook at about 225°F, but the temp will drop a bit once you load in the cold meat.
Cook. Put the meat on the cooker, fat side up. On a smoker with a water pan, put the meat right above the water. Place the oven temp probe next to the meat. Add about 4 ounces of wood right after the meat goes on. When the smoke stops, add 4 ounces more for the first 2 hours, usually about every 30 minutes. Keep an eye on the water in the pan. Don't let it dry out. After 3 hours, turn the meat over if the color is different from top to bottom. Otherwise leave it alone. No need to mop, baste, or spritz. It just lowers the temp of the meat. The meat temp will move steadily upward to the stall, somewhere between around 150°F. Once in the stall zone, it will seem to take forever to rise. The stall can last 5 hours and the temp may not rise more than 5°F!
Texas Crutch. After about 2 to 4 hours, by which time the meat will have hit about 150°F, take it off and wrap it in a double layer of heavy-duty foil or put it in a pan just larger than the meat and cover it with foil. I prefer a pan because foil leaks too easily. Pour a cup of beef broth around the sides of the meat being careful not to wash off the rub before you seal the foil. Then crimp it tight and put the wrapped meat back on the smoker or move it to an indoor oven at 225°F. This step, called the Texas Crutch, slightly braises the meat, but most importantly, it prevents surface evaporation which cools the meat and causes the stall. If you wrap the meat at 150°F it will power right through the stall and cut your cooking time significantly. So when is it ready? In general, I say 190°F. Each brisket is different. "If it never gets tender, pull it off before it hits 205ºF.
Rest. When the temp hits 190°F, get your plastic beer cooler, line it with a towel, blanket, or crumpled newspaper and put the meat, still in foil, into the cooler on top of the lining. If the foil is leaking fluids, put the meat in a large pan first. The lining is important to prevent the plastic from warping or cracking. Close the lid and let the hot meat sit in the cooler for at least 2 to 3 hours until you are ready to eat. Do not let the temp of the meat fall below 150°F while it is in the cooler or else you could get a tummy ache. If you have a tight cooler it should hold the meat well above 160°F for hours.
Slice. I suggest you read up or watch a video on how to slice a brisket, remember it dries out quickly once it is cut, so try to slice it just before you serve it.
Last but not least enjoy!!!
Recipe by RecipeRodeo.com at https://reciperodeo.com/learning-center/smokers/beef-brisket