Why not BBQ smaller cut of brisket?

Is there any reason I wouldn't have good BBQ with a smaller cut of brisket? I don't mean the little one pound fully trimmed cut grandma throws in the broiler.

But today at the market they had a cut 2 1/2 pounds and maybe 2.5 inches thick with some fat. Not a full layer of fat, but a decent amount.

Would this be a good starter cut for somebody who grills but is new to the art of BBQ? Anything I shoul dlook for in brisket cuts?

The cut your talking about is pretty normal around here (Dallas). My two bits of advice would be to keep the fire as low as you can and to use a thermomoeter. The shape of he brisket makes it so that even when it has been cut into smaller pieces it still has about the same surface to mass ratio, so the same cooking methods should work. The problem becomes knowing how long to cook it. Experiece and taking good notes when you coook helps but a probe thermometer is best, let it go to about 190-195. Expect some carry over cooking with this size cut.

Wow. Thanlks for the insight. I may give it a whirl. One other question if u don't mind. If coals take about 30 to 40 minutes to really drop in temp, and need to be replaced almost every hour, would that mean the grill needs new coals in 20 minutes, or one hour from when I got the desirable temperature?

I found that loading a chimney full of charcoal causes too much fluctualtion in heat,, especially if you wait a whole hour in between loads. To solve that problem I have found that using big chunks of lump charcoal helps. They burn longer and more consitantly . I add one - four, two-fist size chunks every half hour depending on how much heat I am looking for. I don't prelight these chunks. I know that might be a bit controverisal but I don't notice any change in flavor. Also my pit has side access so I don't have to "lift the lid" to add wood.

Of course my problem is compounded by the fact that I am in Texas and it is god-awful hot. Come three or four o'clock in the afternoon my pit runs about 150 degrees without any fire in it!!!

I do add my wood chunks once an hour. I still don't have much luck keeping them from buringing too hot. I try to keep them on the edge of the coals to keep em at a smoulder.

It's been hot here in Southern California and my gas grill temp is about 200 when I take off the cover. Ineed to get a temp gauge for my new kettle. I haven't grilled anything on charcoal yet that takes over an hour. I'll just wing it and if my temp drops before I get fresh coals on I'll regulate it as best possible with my air vents. Maybe I'll just chimney up fresh coals every 1/3 hour.