If you do not prepare barbecue on a smoker, you did not prepare barbecue. Instead, you prepared something you wish were barbecue, something you hope will be akin to barbecue. But it will not be barbecue.
And, you must use the proper wood. The best wood for smoking brisket is, without doubt, mesquite. Other woods can make the brisket tasty; oak, hickory, etc. can smoke the meat, but they cannot make it sublime. But they try very hard and do a nice job.