Looks like someone resurrected a fossilized thread! Cool.
I have smoked a lot of briskets the last few years. Not for comps or business. Just cause I love em. Here are a few observations on my never ending quest for brisket nirvana:
Bark-
You can wrap and still have good bark. The key is getting a good bark before you wrap. Obviously, if you don't wrap at all your bark will be harder and more durable, but you can still get very adequate bark if you wrap. Don't worry about what temp to wrap, but instead wrap based on how does the bark look. It will vary with smoker temp and moisture level, but it could be when the IT is 140* or when it is 180*. I have wrapped as late as 185*.
Using butcher paper will allow the meat to breathe a little more than foil and may help with bark preservation. Personally, I tend to use foil wrap on a select grade and butcher paper on prime and flip a coin on choice.
While sugar can help, I prefer to use a lot of course black pepper instead, though I do like a pinch of sugar in my brisket rub.
Just don't use fresh ground black pepper. It will be too strong. Get some cheap already ground coarse black pepper and open it up and let it set out on the counter. Use liberally on the brisket to add that wonderful Texas texture. If you use old, cheap pepper it will not have a strong taste at all.
Injecting-
I really wrestled with this for a while. It just seemed too much like cheating. But I swallowed my pride and got into an experimental phase a while back and I have been using Butcher BBQ injection. I don't use full strength though, but mixed at half strength with broth, it can really add moisture and make a very succulent brisket. I think it particularly helps with cheap, select grade briskets. Yes, I am an injector and I have learned to live with myself. I really, really like the " shelf life" I get with the finished product. Believe it or not, I only have 1.5 brisket eaters in my house, so I usually eat off the brisket for 3-4 days. Using the Butcher BBQ product keeps it moist for several days. I do lots of stuff with it and only occasionally have a piece left to freeze, which gets used for chilli or beans. BTW the Butcher BBQ and others like it have phosphates which help retain moisture.
Wrapping-
I wrestled with this a bit too. But when I ran across a video of Aaron Franklin of Franklin's BBQ, the famous Austin BBQ restaurant with what is widely considered some of best brisket ever smoked, I changed my mind and started looking into it. He wraps in butcher paper. His briskets have great bark.
Smokers and Temps-
I have an electric, two charcoal and a pellet smoker. I can get great brisket on all 3. Even on the electric. And yes you can get really good bark on an electric. See photo below. I smoke everything but chicken between 225-275*. What temp I use depends on the time I have at hand. For example, if I have a large brisket I will start it late at night before I go to bed and set temp at 225*. This will allow me to get up in the am and wrap well before the brisket is done. If it is a small brisket, I may start it a little earlier in the evening and use 275* and wrap just before I go to bed. Then turn the temp down so i can get some sleep and have it just about done when I get up to rest it. BTW, I employ PID temp controllers on all but one of my smokers. This enables me to get very predictable timing and allows be to sleep peacefully.
I have found that 203-207* IT is what I like. It is virtually impossible to get the exact same temp in every part of the brisket, so I like a minimum of 203* in the thickest part of the flat and this usually results in around 207* in the thinner parts. But it may vary. I strongly recommend erring on the side of "overcooking" vs undercooking. I use quotes because when i say overcooking I am not talking about cooking to the point of drying out. But I would rather the brisket fall apart than be tough. But thats just me. The poke, or toothpick test combined with IT is the best way to judge doneness in my opinion. I like my Thermapop probe to slide in very easy and I have never been satisfied with a brisket that I pulled at an IT below 200*. Just my observations.
***Disclaimer--In Texas we practically grow briskets on trees. I just smoked one that cost $1.69/lb. It was only a select grade, but dammit, it was still a brisket. In other words, its pretty painless to experiment around here and not freak out over sacrificing a $200 piece of meat. The one I just did was 10lbs and cost a whopping $17.24. God bless Texas!***
How bout that bark out of my electric smoker. Also, this is a Salt and pepper only rub: