Most brisket content tells you what to do; nothing tells you when. Here is the clock that goes on the fridge.
Night before, 9pm: trim and season. Pull the brisket from the fridge, trim the fat cap to a quarter inch, season aggressively with salt and pepper. Rewrap in butcher paper, back in the fridge.
Brisket day, 5am: light the smoker. Get it stable at 225F. Read the news. Have a first coffee.
5:30am: brisket on. Fat side up. Close the lid. Walk away.
Every two hours: spritz with apple cider vinegar and water. Do not lift the lid otherwise. Every lift is a fifteen-minute setback.
Around 9:30am: the stall. Internal hits 165F and stops. This is normal. Wrap in butcher paper or foil; back on the smoker.
Around 1pm: probing for tender. The thermometer should slide in like warm butter at 203F internal. If it resists, it is not done. Wait another thirty minutes. Repeat.
When tender: pull. Wrap in foil. Wrap that in a towel. Put the bundle in a dry cooler. Rest a minimum of one hour. Two if you can stand it.
Slice against the grain at the right thickness. The trim from earlier is for sausage or chili. Nothing wasted.
The whole brisket day is the timeline more than the technique. Plan it. Block the day. Pour something cold at 5:30am. The smoker is doing the work.