Wow, this ended up being a long post... =)
I've done a few on me lil tex (with out digital temp control) set to "smoke" (180'ish - 225 depending on the outside temp) and I usually inject with this Heart-Healthy mix:
2 pkts of au jus mixed with about 1/2 as much water as the pkg calls for and to that I add 1 cube of butter, a handfull or so of drk brown shugga' (I try to find that sweet/salty balance, don't add too much if you plan on addin the honey talked about below) then I add enough hot sauce to give it a little bite (usually texas pete or a louisianna sauce, but not tabasco, too much vinager (And I love Tabasco on everthing!) The other pepper sauces are usually a bit thicker and I like the au jus mix to be pretty thick that way it doesn't ooze out as easily. Again, find that sweet/salty and now spicy balance.
If I'm making this for competition I add enough hickory smoke seasoning to be able to taste it over the salt & sweet. Bring this to a boil for a few min and keep stirring!
I also add about a 1/2 cup of raw unpasturized local honey to the mix as it starts to cool down (150 or so) there are natural enzymes in the unpasturized honey that are activated by heat (but killed at high temps) and will help break down that muscle tissue. For the love all that is holy, PLEASE, do NOT try to use any sort of meat tenderized for this! You will end up with a beautiful "shell" and some sort of dog food consistency mush on the inside. Worst brisket expirement EVER!!!! Learn from my mistakes! I was so sad when I cut it open, I almost cried.
I wait untill the butter just barely starts to congeal, you want it to still suck into the syringe but cools quickly and solidifys when it contacts the cold meat. Start injecting like a mad-man. Make sure you squint while injecting, you don't want that crap in your eye! Besides, thats why God gave you eye lids! =)
Once injected to the point where there is no way any more will be held stick it in a nice large dish, fat down and pour any remaining au jus in. I apply what ever rub I plan on using (thats the 1 secret you'll have to discover on your own) to any exposed meat and tuck plastic wrap over the top so that it fits tightly on the meat. Let sit over night in the fridge. In the morn, remove from the dish and skim any butter out that you can, rub this into the flesh side as well as you can, reapply your rub to the entire brisket and start smokin that damn thing!
After the 1st hour I lightly spray with a mixture of:
1 1/2 cups Braggs apple cider vinager
1/2 cup olive oil (other oils work too)
1/2 cup unpasturized honey (warmed so that it mixes with the vinager)
I double wrap in HD foil with a small amount of the spray mix above @ about 170'sh and place back into tex untill temp hits 200. Then place in a cooler lined with towels that your wife isn't going to kill you for using, and let slowly cool/rest (couple of hours is best).
Slice that sumbiskit up and use the juices in the foil to dip in if you want to. Or, you can also strain it and freeze it for the next brisket you cook, and add that to your au jus injection, now it's gettin crazy! That's next level stuff right there.
I'm sure some folks will bash me for using au jus from a pkg cuz it's loaded with MSG but when competing, you've got to use all the tools @ your disposal. I've won 1st in a backyard comp and 3rd in a sanctioned event with this recipe this past summer... Let me know what you think!
