My $0.02. A couple of questions... What are you cooking on, and what temp does your cooker like to live at? Your fat cap should be towards the fire. Get rid of the hard fat, but leave 1/4" to 1/3" of the actual cap. Don't worry about trying to cook at too low of a temp, but be aware that unless you are cooking at a very low temp (225 or so) your brisket will almost definitely not be done at 198-203. Somewhere north of 210 is typical of a hot and fast brisket. Either way, temp is just a gauge to let you know when to start checking the feel. When a probe goes into the thickest part of the flat like it goes into room temp butter you are done. As for wrapping, it depends on the cooker's moisture level IMO. I like to go unwrapped for the most part, but when I do wrap, I do not include any liquid. There is still plenty left in the meat to self baste when you wrap. Butcher paper is my wrap of choice. It speeds up the cook less than foil but leaves a far better bark. Wrap when the color looks right (165-170 degrees normally). As for rub and such, try to work one step at a time instead of trying to figure it all out at once and having no idea what is working and what is not. Salt and pepper (maybe some garlic and onion) to start with no injection. Only inject if going for a specific flavor profile as it actually hurts the cooking process by forcing more time to reduce liquid. I find no advantage to rubbing the night before. I like to rub while the cooker is coming up to temp. A mustard base is fine as is a Worcestershire base or even a very thin mayo base. Resting and holding are two different methods. If you will be eating within 2 hours of finish, I prefer to leave wrapped in butcher paper on the counter until ready to start slicing. If you need to hold longer, go with FTC - Foil, towel, cooler. Do not slice more than you are ready to serve. I think that is everything I have for now.
