Image Lonestar’s “Hewston” brisket summer roll. Credit... Tony Cenicola/The New York Times

“I would hesitate even to say that I make barbecue,” said Mr. Ngo, who also sells wonderfully squishy and juicy brisket sandwiches on potato buns, with traditional toppings of pickle slices and raw onion, at weekend markets. Mr. Ngo’s kitchen doesn’t allow for outdoor smoking, so purists may be inclined to dismiss his work, along with that of many other New York purveyors. “I make smoked brisket sandwiches like the ones I grew up eating, and I make summer rolls that I’m proud of,” he said, “but I don’t want the barbecue police coming after me.”

Brisket is a particularly difficult cut to cook, a thick clump of fat, muscle, connective tissue and collagen that, under perfect conditions, combine into supple, beefy perfection. For professionals, the greatest challenge is consistency, making sure that each brisket comes out identically.

For home cooks, the challenges are smaller, but twofold. First is finding a brisket to barbecue. A whole brisket consists of two distinct muscles, usually separated into what butchers call the flat and the point. The flat, or first cut, is too lean to barbecue on its own; braised, it makes a nice pot roast. The point, or second cut, must be attached for barbecue, along with the sheath of fat that covers the whole cut.

Until recently, a whole brisket was as hard for a home cook to secure as a whole lobe of foie gras. But as barbecuing has become a serious weekend activity, whole briskets have been popping up at stores like Costco, Walmart and Restaurant Depot. These are usually select grade: the choice grade is preferable, if you can find it. And with a few days’ notice, any butcher can order a whole brisket.

The second challenge is discarding everything you know about cooking meat. Keeping a charcoal grill as low as 225 to 250 degrees can be worrisome for those of us used to cranking it up for steak. Just one scant chimney starter of charcoal and a handful of wood chips can get the grill up to temperature. (Purists may prefer to use a backyard smoker, but a kettle grill will work just fine.)