trimming

I'm smoking my second brisket this weekend for some family. My first one came out awesome except for the last 2 or 3 inches at the end of the flat, which I think was just too thin. From what I've researched, people trim a lot of meat off of the end of the flat. But what if I leave more meat on...

Hello all, I usually purchase a shoulder that's been trimmed and tied by the butcher. This time, he wasn't in so I bought 2 five-pound untrimmed shoulders - with the fat/skin and bone intact. It went well. Probably due to the fat/skin layer (which I had on top), I didn't even notice the stall...

So bought a flat from Costco .Looked online for basic of trimming the edges and the fat cap etc .think I understand the basics. However when I started getting into this bad boy there's a big thick, hard vein of fat running through the center of this thing. What do I do? Do I leave it? Cut this...