Oh, awesome thread. Didn't know it was on here. GREAT, because I need advice. I'm planning on doing a brisket next weekend. I have a Weber and I know how to work it. I've made some great cooks on there before, including an absolutely phenomenal pork shoulder (Boston butt). I have made one or two beef cooks, but they have been sub-par. Yes, I was inexperienced at the time (and didn't have a thermometer), but still.
So, I'm planning a brisket for 6~8 people. Not a lot of people, but I don't want THE smallest piece of meat as they tend to dry out. I have considered a 7~8lb brisket for that purpose. I would prefer the point over the flat, and I'm going to ask my butcher as much as well. However, there are some things I'm worried about. Is the weight or piece of meat possibly too small? How long should it go if I'm planning to run it between 225 and 250? I have the whole day, so that's fine.
Also on this topic, the last thing I smoked was a pork shoulder, and it was smoked with hickory. I didn't smoke it for too long, but it was very, very smokey after the cook. Actually a bit too smokey for my taste. It tasted almost like liquid smoke, and I didn't even use a ton of chips (chips is all I can get over here). How many chips should I use if I just want a light or mild smokey flavour? Also, do wet chips create more of a smoke flavour than dry chips, or is it a different smoke flavour? I've always soaked my wood chips prior to smoking, but I'm in two minds about if it actually works...