"Smoke" on your cooker is 175-185 degrees, In order to get the fat and collagen to really break down and give you a tender finish, you will be cooking at long time at that low temp to get your brisket tender. (notice I didnt say to get it cooked -- it will be "cooked" hours before it is tender) The suggestions above are good... start at the smoke setting, to get some good smoke flavor going, but then bump the heat to finish and get your cook tender.
Several things can effect your tenderness and juiciness The age of your brisket (how old was the cow?), the fat content - ie how much marbling does it have ( that equals moisture during the cooking process), and how much collagen does it have (strands between the fibers that will break down into gelatin, and also increase the moisture in the meat, as well as increase the tenderness.) The collagen is what makes your brisket tough, so you have to cook the brisket long enough to break those protien strands down..
Cooking longer risks drying out the meat however, esp. if it is low in the nice marbled fat that helps keep your meat moist.... so how to combat these things all working against you:
Marinate or inject your meat. -- Add moisture! and flavor! I suggest as a good starting point - Dr. BBQ's Big Cow Beef Injection (2 cups beef broth, 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce, 1 tsp onion powder, 1 tsp garlic powder, 1/2 tsp cayenne powder)
Think about Grandma's Sunday brisket... it was cooked/braised in the oven or crock pot... Use some of that theory in your smoker. After several hours low and slow, wrap your brisket, so that it will hold it's juices and with what it does release, it will be able to braise in them. I believe BP suggested a foil pan, then covering the pan... however I dont like to use pans, I have seen people steam the flavor out of a brisket, turning it to pot roast foiling in a pan where it can steam. I would suggest tightly wrapping it in two sheets of foil.
Finally, cook time... That brisket will need time to cook in order to let the collagen and fat break down properly. Heat and moisture drive the denaturing of those proteins. I would cook, to color and feel, with an occassional temp check; vs, worrying about hitting a time mark. Cook it at smoke for a couple of hours, then bump the temp to 225. at the point you like the color of the brisket, wrap it. Then cook it wrapped, until you can poke it with our meat thermometer and it slides in with little to no resistance. like sliding a hot skewer into a block of soft butter.
I would bet you will cook it closer to 8 hrs. Good luck, I can't tell you how many pieces of shoe leather I have created over the years
Several things can effect your tenderness and juiciness The age of your brisket (how old was the cow?), the fat content - ie how much marbling does it have ( that equals moisture during the cooking process), and how much collagen does it have (strands between the fibers that will break down into gelatin, and also increase the moisture in the meat, as well as increase the tenderness.) The collagen is what makes your brisket tough, so you have to cook the brisket long enough to break those protien strands down..
Cooking longer risks drying out the meat however, esp. if it is low in the nice marbled fat that helps keep your meat moist.... so how to combat these things all working against you:
Marinate or inject your meat. -- Add moisture! and flavor! I suggest as a good starting point - Dr. BBQ's Big Cow Beef Injection (2 cups beef broth, 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce, 1 tsp onion powder, 1 tsp garlic powder, 1/2 tsp cayenne powder)
Think about Grandma's Sunday brisket... it was cooked/braised in the oven or crock pot... Use some of that theory in your smoker. After several hours low and slow, wrap your brisket, so that it will hold it's juices and with what it does release, it will be able to braise in them. I believe BP suggested a foil pan, then covering the pan... however I dont like to use pans, I have seen people steam the flavor out of a brisket, turning it to pot roast foiling in a pan where it can steam. I would suggest tightly wrapping it in two sheets of foil.
Finally, cook time... That brisket will need time to cook in order to let the collagen and fat break down properly. Heat and moisture drive the denaturing of those proteins. I would cook, to color and feel, with an occassional temp check; vs, worrying about hitting a time mark. Cook it at smoke for a couple of hours, then bump the temp to 225. at the point you like the color of the brisket, wrap it. Then cook it wrapped, until you can poke it with our meat thermometer and it slides in with little to no resistance. like sliding a hot skewer into a block of soft butter.
I would bet you will cook it closer to 8 hrs. Good luck, I can't tell you how many pieces of shoe leather I have created over the years