Nice recipe. I do similar, but instead of cream, use cream cheese, and instead of planko crumbs, I use crush crackers, usually Ritz or cheap ones from Coles. Chuck in Onion, Mushroom, Bacon and sometimes throw a few Anchovies which you can't taste but Up the Umami flavors.
You could serve this exact recipe at any Texas barbecue restaurant and you'd have to make 25 hotel pans a day and maybe even then you'd run out of it before brisket. I like the idea of the sausage but you could also incorporate cooked brisket trimmings from the day before that weren't acceptable for sale. I've even made it by substituting some of the butter with fat rendered during the smoking and it can be really good. You really have to play with it though because the smoke flavor can be overwhelming for some people.
