Brisket help

[Northener]

Greetings, planning on doing my first brisket, so i have a few questions.               What size brisket should i look for. Have #2 smoker
Wally World briskets any good or do i need to look elsewhere.
Dry rub or brine or both have done many pork butts, always brine them with great results, then slather mustard and coating of dry rubs.
I see 235 is the popular setting and IT target of 190-200 with 6-8 ozs of wood.
My 8-9lb pork butts take 16-18 hrs to get to IT of 195, my preferred target temp, set at 235

I am looking for nice crust/bark with juicy interior, this is what my family prefers in my pork butts, so would like similar in a brisket.

Any other tips and techniques will be greatly appreciated.

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[Pork Belly]

Bigger is better, nothing less than 11 pounds. Dry rub no brine, fat side down at 200 for about 18 hours. cook it until its soft the is no magic temp. 6 to 8 oz of your favorite wood will be fine.

[LarryD]

You're going to get several different answers and they're all going to be correct. 

I always brine even if only for a couple hours.  I then dry, apply dry rub, wrap in plastic and let it sit in the fridge for an hour or so.  I can fit a 12-13 pound full packer diagonally on one shelf.  Larger than that I have to cut it in half and put it on two racks.

I always smoke brisket with a full 8oz of wood at 225 until an internal temp of 195-200.  Be sure to put a small pan of water in the bottom of the smoker right next to the smoke box.  The brining tends to cut down on the total cook time...  figure ~1 hr a pound.

[Pork Belly]

You're going to get several different answers and they're all going to be correct. 

While this is true.....

What I have described to you is the easiest way to get trouble free brisket. If the ritual and voodoo appeal to you by all means go for it.

However, I made more brisket today than most of you will make in a couple years.
Sometimes simple can be better.

[SconnieQ]

I believe Walmart only sells USDA Select packer briskets. I would avoid Select grade briskets. What you really want to look for is either Choice or Prime. Costco is the best place to buy briskets for most people. The Costco near me has Prime whole packer briskets for around $3.79 per pound, sometimes less. Price can vary by time of year, and by region. You'll find that they are generally in the 12-18 pound range.

[SconnieQ]

I always use a temperature probe, because otherwise I'd probably be opening the door constantly, worrying about my brisket getting overcooked and dry. You don't want to be opening the door on these smokers unless you absolutely have to. I don't have the confidence to go by time alone. I use two probes, one in the flat, and one in the point. My preferred temps are 195 in the flat, and 200-205 in the point. The two sections usually reach their temps pretty close to the same time. My briskets are perfectly jiggly every time when following these temps (assuming you have a decent quality piece of meat).