I do them whole. Each cut is obviously going to vary but you can trim off any pointy end that's just going to burn and get hard. Short of that, I've gone to minimal trimming as it helps on the flat taste and texture and moistness. I'll trim off any hard fat or gnarly pieces. I look over the briskets at the store; if they don't have good ones, I go elsewhere. What we get here in NC tends to vary quite a bit no matter the grade (prime, choice, or select). I cooked a select last year that was on par with the best prime I had done. If you start with good meat and don't over cook it, it's going to come out good meat. Super easy and consistent with the computer controller, running the settings listed in this forum.