Flat or Whole Brisket

[salisboss]

Doing my first smoke/brisket this weekend and I have one question:

Should I do a whole brisket or just get a flat? Is doing just the flat appreciably easier than doing the whole thing?

 

[SmokinAl]

Personally I would do the whole brisket, it's much more forgiving than just smoking a flat.
The flat takes a little practice to keep it from drying out.
Al

 

[73saint]

I'll chime in and agree with Al here. I know some folks that do separate, but I personally think keeping the two together is the way to go. That flat can be a real challenge to cook it properly, without drying it out. I rotate my packers, always trying to leave the flattest part to the coolest side of the smoker.

Not saying you can't separate them, but if you are just getting started, I wouldn't.

Heck, I am doing my first pastrami from scratch, and even with that I felt a little uneasy about separating the two (but I did)...

 

[tallbm]

I agree with everyone above.