General tips
Sous vide brisket at 155°–165°F for 24–48 h gives you the tenderness, but it can't make smoke flavor. The biggest mistake is skipping the post-bath smoke step - without it, you've got pot roast, not brisket. Plan an extra 2–4 h on a smoker for real bark.
Trim the fat cap to about a quarter inch before bagging. Any thicker and the bark won't form properly when you finish on the smoker. Any thinner and the meat will dry out during the long bath. The fat cap is your insurance policy.
Dry-rub at least overnight, ideally a full 24 h. Texas-style is just kosher salt and coarse-ground black pepper in equal parts. Sweet-style adds brown sugar and paprika. Either way, the salt needs hours to penetrate the thick muscle.
When the bag comes out of the bath, save every drop of liquid. That's pure beef jus - strain it, defat it, and reduce by half for the best au jus you'll ever make. Don't let it go down the drain.
Anti-tip: don't slice the brisket immediately after the smoker. The collagen has just been melted into the meat and needs at least 30 min wrapped in butcher paper to redistribute. Cut too early and you'll lose half the moisture to the cutting board.
Fall-Apart Tender tips
Use packer brisket (point and flat together) for best results
Heavy black pepper bark is Texas-style
Smoke at 225°–250°F for 2–4 h after sous vide