First Attempt at Brisket

Jobug
i smoked a brisket for the first time last weekend.i did everything that I probably shouldn't have but it came out to be the best brisket"or as good as the best" I've ever ate.heres what I did.i bought a cheap brisket at Walmart "29 dollars" it was loaded with fat so I carved it up and got rid of the excess,then I cut it in half as it was to big for just the two of us. I rubbed it down with store bought brisket seasoning and let it sit over night.
i used best one lump in my large egg. I put on my plate setter legs up put the rack on and when it came up to 225 I layed it directly on the rack.then I inserted my thermometer,I let it smoke for 11 hours ar 225 without raising the lid once. Finally I took a look and the internal meat temp was 195,it looked good to me so I took it out and let it rest for 25 minutes.  It was freakin awesome. I live in south Texas and had a couple of the neighborhood bbq pros come taste it. Both gave me the nod of approval and both are thinking of buying an egg.  Love this thing. It's about impossible to make a wrong move cooking on them. 
Good luck. But I don't think you will need it!!!

Here are a few observations that may be of help:

1.  A good trim of the hard fat ala Franklin.

2.  Rub of your choice.

3.  Air gapped drip pan.

4.  Stable fire at your desired cook temp with plenty of lump.  I plan for about 1 hr/lb at around 270-280*F on the calibrated does thermo.  Fat side down and point to the back.

5.  Waiting for the "feel" in the thickest part of the flat to declare victory.  And not worrying if some of the flat doesn't probe as it should.

6.  Paying no attention to the point.

7.  Giving the cow around a 15-20 min rest if you FTC (stop the carryover cook).

8.  Recognizing that the cow drives the cook.

9.  Enjoying and adapting to the cook as it evolves.

10.  Slice against the grain, on demand.

 

All good advice above.  I could had make sure you have a stabilized fire before putting it on and don't get to excited if the temp drops a little.  It will come back.  Try to do a full packet if you can.  Nothing wrong with choice if it has good marbling.  Go by feel not temp, when it gets to195 start checking for tenderness.

Good luck.

Be as flexible as the brisket needs to be. Best advice I can give. 

Also-once you pull it give it at least a 15-20 minute rest on a cooling rack to stop the carry-over cooking.  Then you can either slice on demand or FTC til time to inhale.
Don't worry if there are parts of the flat that may not probe "like buttah" as sometimes they never get with the program.  The thickest part (as mentioned above) is the key.  FWIW-

FTC= Foil, Towels and Cooler.  The reason to not immediately FTC is to ensure you stop the carry-over cooking by letting it rest.

definitely dont cook it to 210.  Check the tenderness in the thick of the flat, let it rest for 15 minutes, then wrapped and hold in a cooler until it's time to serve.

Some briskets are done at 195 some are done at 205.  Just depends on when it gets really tender.

Lookin' good.  Patience...as the smell is quite enticing.

@jojobugay - At the risk of over-kill, you may want to give the below Franklin video a look before time to slice and dice:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sMIlyzRFUjU
Definitely takes the mystery out of the process.