my first brisket

Smoked my first brisket this past weekend. For novices like me out there, I can only hope you find a smidgen of insight and/or confidence in what I lay out. To be sure, like most of you, I don't like wasting money…

After reading what seems like several hundred posts on this subreddit (genuine thanks to all y'all) and conferring with several dozen conflicting suggestions posted on the interwebs by pitmasters and AI algorithms, here's where I ended up:

1. 7 lb flat from Sam's Club. Prime Angus at $9 a pound. I knew I wasn't buying a whole brisket but I didn't realize what I was buying beyond weight. When I got home, I learned it's a quality cut. Didn't trim it. Got lucky on both accounts.

2. At 4:00pm, coated it with yellow mustard then a copious amount of black pepper (50%), salt (30%) and garlic salt (20%). Looked kinda gross; probably should have used more seasoning. Placed it in fridge. Prepped Pitboss smoker with combination pellet (oak, hickory, cherry). Eventually went to bed.

3. Woke up at 3:00am. Didn't mean to but I was dreaming of brisket. Pulled flat out of fridge. Went back to sleep after playing Wordle (third guess!).

4. Had alarm set for 5:30am. Woke up at 5:13am. Outside temperature was ~25⁰ (and never got above ~40⁰). Turned on Pitboss, the combo one with two separate side by side smallish compartment for cooking via smoker and traditional propane. Pulled flat out of fridge and placed on upper level of smoker fat side down. No foil, no paper; like I was grilling a burger. Stuck a prob in it. Read 65⁰. Feet very cold. Forgot to wear shoes. Scurried back inside and used my phone to set smoker to 200⁰. Peed. Jumped back under the covers and pretended like I never left. Wife knew better but played it off. Eventually dozed off.

5. Woke up 8:00a. At about 9:30am, internal temperature hit 120⁰ and cranked smoker up to 250⁰. When it hit 145⁰, scaled back to 200⁰. When it hit 155⁰, cranked to 350⁰. Took it off at 165⁰.

6. Brushed all over with ~4 tablespoons of beef tallow and wrapped it in butcher paper. Read up and/or watch a videos; it’s more difficult than it sounds to do it properly.

7. Threw it back on at 250⁰ – lower level rack; fat side on top. Set alarm for 202⁰. Pulled it off and yanked the prob out.

8. Unwrapped it and rewrapped it in fresh butcher paper, sealed in a big ziploc and squeezed out excess air. Stuck prob in it. Wrapped it in a heavy towel and put in a cooler that had been warmed for 30 minutes using almost boiling water. Put another towel on top then sealed it tight.

9. Five hour rest as I watched it go from 195⁰ to 145⁰ and saw the Carolina Panthers oddly back into a spot in the NFL playoffs.

10. Carved against the grain and served. I didn't achieve the thick Texas bark that some seem to prefer, but it was smoky and moist and tasty. Went great with roasted potatoes and sautéed bok choy/ mushrooms.

Total time from putting it on the smoker to plating was 13 hours. Patience was a virtue, especially the resting time.

83/100. Will try again.

Thanks for reading! Corrective suggestions welcome.