Here is an review on doing brisket by a dedicated q'r from Texas.

Brisket:

Beef Brisket by Rev Belly

I think that beef brisket belongs to Texas like peanuts to Georgia and
pulled pork to North Carolina. But did you know, 'till about forty years
ago brisket was a worthless cut of meat that most folks would just discard
or grind into hamburger meat? Down in the hill country of Texas, ol'
brother Wolf was buying all the brisket he could get to make his chili
with. Then about 1950 two German brothers who had a meat market began
cooking BBQ in their market to use up left over meat. One got the idea to
smoke a brisket as he was smoking sausage one weekend. He left it all
weekend in his smokehouse and on Monday as they were serving their que,
pork, sausage & chicken, he cut a slice & put on each lunch.. Everyone
began telling him how good and tender it was. With that they began to cook
beef brisket for BBQ. So Texas owes the two German meat market brothers
from the hills of Texas for our Beef Brisket BBQ. Now-a-days, like lots of
things, the briskets of today are so much improved over time. The brisket
of old time was over half fat, but with the better cows of these days we
get lots better beef brisket. Still, the only way to make them good &
tender is good, slow cooking over hardwood smoke. Here's the way this ol'
Texan tries to cook good beef brisket.

Cooking Beef Brisket

1) Fat and marbling: Choose a brisket which has most of the fat down in the
meat and not all fat on the outside. You do need a layer of fat on the
outside too. Fat inside the meat will help keep it moist, so you still need
some fat both on inside & outside, But remember selecting a good brisket is
half the technique of good Que.

2) Size: A real good size is a brisket from 6 to 10 pounds, big or small
will be more of a personal choice. Just remember that slow cooking for 1
1/2 to 2 hours per pound is a pretty fair time table for cooking a brisket
at 225 dez (degrees F.)

3) Seasoning: There are as many ideas on the best way to season a brisket
as there are brisket cooks. No two will do the same and very few will do it
the same way two times in a row: You can Marinate, dry rub or both; or
sprinkle it with spices; or do all three. I, myself do a little of it all.

3A) Marinate: May be a store bought marinade or maybe your own. I use a mix
of Beer, Dr. Waco (similar to Dr. Pepper) and Willingham's marinade & let
marinate overnight. Dry it off next morning & let it set for about half
hour.

3B) Dry Rub: I use a mix of Garlic power, black pepper, salt, cumin, red
pepper & a little brown sugar. There are lots of good dry rub out there on
the market. Try them.

4) Fi It don't make a big difference what or how you are cooking as long
as you have a good low long-time steady heat; may it be wood, electric or
gas. I, my-self, have for the last twenty-five years used a wood fire in
everything from a barrel, to a washpot, to a high dollar pit. I still say
you can cook as good of que in anything as long as you watch your fire.
What you want is a good stead low fire with a temperature of 200 to 225
dez.

5) Cooking: Well, I have found that I do better with my brisket if I cook
it about an hour per pound on a good low fire of hardwood and then wrap it
in foil and put it in a dry ice chest for up to eight hours. If I slow cook
my brisket for 18 to 20 hours, they are always too dry for me. But
remember, any ol' boy can be like the blind dog an find a better way to do
it. Good smoke will have a sweet flavor & that's what you want; not a
bitter flavor. You will get a (smoke) ring of 1/32 to 1/2 inch most time.
The smoke ring is the result of a chemical reaction between smoke & Air
(nitrogen). This don't make a big different in the taste of your brisket
but do make a better looking brisket, different seasoning will make a
difference in the size of your ring.

6) Presentation: Last, but not to be overlooked, is the presentation of
your brisket. I don't care if it is just for your wife & kids or your
mother-in-law or your boss or if you are in a million dollar cook-off, A
brisket that is half bad, will be come extra good if it is sliced and
presented right. Always slice your brisket across the grain of the meat
(start on a corner of the flat part). This is very important as it makes it
a more palatable & tender slice of meat. Remember, a good BBQ brisket don't
need a sauce poured over it, serve it on the side.

Adios: Now that's way we do it up the Paluxy River in the hills of Texas.
Think I'll cook some BBQ: Beef that is. Billy W (Belly) Maynard

--
Nick, Retired in the San Fernando Valley www.boonchoo.com
"Giving violent criminals a government guarantee that their intended
victims are defenseless is bad public policy."
- John Ross, "Unintended Consequences"