I just smoked my first brisket and was very disappointed in the results. It was tough and dry. Did I just get a bad piece of meat?

Probably not. Brisket, by its very nature, is a “bad” piece of meat. That is to say it’s tough, ornery, and was once considered a “trash” cut. Chances are you started with a relatively lean section of the flat, and you may have cooked it at too high a temperature too quickly. I’ve developed four strategies for turning out moist brisket flats. Any or all of the following will help you.