Hey T-Mo... you can find lots of topics on here that talk about all of our first briskets, our trophies, and our mistakes!
I personally don't use any binder... my favorite seasoning is a blend of salt (2 parts), onion powder (1 part), garlic powder (1 part), and black pepper (1/2 part). You can be creative and use all kinds of spices, but I haven't found that they are necessary nor worth the additional effort and expense. When I take the brisket out of the brine (I always brine) I rinse it and pat it dry (not excessively... just don't want it dripping).
I put the brisket in a large roaster pan, pour a bunch of seasoning on it, and then rub in/around. Flip it over and do the same to the other side. Use whatever fell off (and extra if needed) to get the sides and obscure spots. Whatever stays on the brisket at that point is what goes in the smoker.
Time will be difficult to calculate... it's done when it's done and not even 20 minutes before. The closest I came to a 'bad' brisket is when I (foolishly) made plans with a hard start time and had to pull the brisket ~30 minutes early. It was still very edible and tasty, but clearly not as tender and moist as all of my priors which were never rushed.
I pull mine when both the flat and the point have hit at least 190 and before anything hits 200. While I could have an exception yet, so far that has always passed the jiggle and poke tests. The point and flat always end up within 5 degrees of each other, so I haven't found it to be uneven cooks to be an issue.
Good luck! Definitely let us know how it turns out...