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To Christos's advice: The IT read 203 when I pulled the full brisket off and rested it. I did NOT test for tenderness. The flat was juicy and tasty but not quite as tender as I'd like. Don't get me wrong, every bite was eaten but, the crowd favored the burnt ends as they were more tender and more flavorful with the crispy bark they had. Next time I may not crutch the brisket or I may even try to to a wet to dry method to get better bark. But, I WILL test for tenderness once IT target is reached.

To the burnt ends: I've read a number of ways to "do" them. All I did was double smoke the point, cube it, and drizzle a little sauce on it. I read some people fry it in trimmed fat after, and/or cook it in a pan with sauce to carmelize it a bit. I did none of these and it tasted great. Any preferences/tips here?

One more question: I notice many of your briskets have a perfect 360 degree smoke ring. Mine did not. Do you flip your brisket at some point while cooking? I read mixed suggestions for/against. Given that, I did not flip and cooked fat cap up.