Injecting is an option but care in handling becomes much more important...Wash the meat, rub if you wish the night before but only inject no more than a hour before going in the Smoker. Anytime you punch holes in the meat there is a risk of pushing Bacteria into the meat, not a real big deal unless something goes wrong, like runnung out of fuel in the middle of the night. With intact muscle the exterior bacteria will have been killed after an hour and if the smoker dies and the temp drops just fire it back up and proceed to finish the cook. If you injected and the smoker goes down there is a risk that any bacteria pushed in was sitting in the nice warm interior of the meat multiplying and although the bacteria would have died when the cook was finished there may be Toxins that could make you sick.
Foiling will speed things up a bit but you get a softer bark if you wrap. Plan on 2 hours per pound with a 2 hour pad/rest in a cooler for best results. the meat will stay hot wrapped in foil and towels in a cooler for up to 5 hours, so it is better to get done early than be behind schedule with hungry people waiting on your Brisket.
I like to make a Smokey Au Jus to dip the Brisket in. Good Luck...JJ
Smokey Au Jus
1- Lg Onion,
4-5 Carrots,
3-4 Ribs Celery
3-4 Peeled Cloves of Garlic
Toss them in a pan under the Beef, and let the whole deal Smoke for one hour,
THEN add 4-6 Cups Beef Broth,
2 Tbs Tomato Paste,
1/2tsp Dry Thyme (4-5 sprigs Fresh)
1-2 ea Bayleaf
Finish the Smoking process to the IT you want.
While the Roast is resting, dump the pan juices veggies and all into a 2-3Qt Sauce pot and add 1Cup Red Wine, something you like to drink, and bring the Jus to a boil, lower the heat and simmer 20-30 minutes. Strain out the veggies and let the Jus rest a minute or so for the Fat to rise. Skim off the bulk of the fat then using strips of paper towel laid on top of the Jus then quickly removed, take off the last little bit of fat.
The purpose of Smoking the Vegetable for 1 hour before adding the Broth and Herbs is...The Smoked vegetables Roast in the Dry heat concentrating their Flavors and Sweetness giving the finished Jus a Richer, Deeper, Full Flavor.
Serve the sliced Beef Au Jus or thicken the Jus to make Gravy.