When I get a brisket with a large difference in size between the point and flat, I separate it at the natural muscle seam and cook each piece to the appropriate probe tenderness. Usually, the thicker point will take a couple of hours more to reach probe tenderness.
When I can, I try to select briskets that are pretty close to the same thickness on both ends and cook as a single piece, but that is not always possible. The brisket I am cooking for the 4th is a “tweeter;” not a huge difference in thickness, but enough that I am considering separating it.
I have tried wrapping the flat in pink butcher paper and that worked OK, so that’s another option for my upcoming cook. The other “trick” is to inject the flat (but not the point) liberally before putting the brisket in the smoker, and again as it hits the stall at around 160F. The additional moisture added to the flat will help keep it moist while bringing the point up to doneness.
The big thing about cooking brisket is to cook to tenderness, not temperature. The internal temperature is just a convenient indicator for when to start probing for tenderness. I like to start probing at about 190F and continue every few minutes until I get that smooth, creamy peanut butter insertion feeling.
In general, when cooking a whole brisket, I temperature-check and probe the flat, and pull as soon as it is ready, as long as the point is over 160F, which it almost always is. Most importantly, I rest my briskets for 3-4 hours minimum in an insulated container and that almost always brings the point to good tenderness.
And, if the point still seems a bit underdone, I turn it into burnt ends after saucing and extending the cook time a bit. It is amazing what an extra 30 minutes can do for burnt ends!
Good luck with your cook.
