Just saw this post and though it appropriate I harass you just a little since you did not post the end results.
I have been through all you are going through many years smoking a brisket, watching it 24/7, adjusting every 30 min to keep the temp just right with all day or overnight smokes while nursing my beers to help keep my sinuses cleared out from the hickory smoke.
I finally gave up on trying to nurse my beers, was just not my style. Ha Ha
I solved my problem of getting older and lazier with a trade off of not opening my great tasting brisket sandwich and looking for a "smoke" ring, (which in reality, it is not.) This site has a lot of information on what causes that pink color ring. Hint, smoke is not pink..
Saturday afternoon, I put a 9lb brisket into a Smoke-it #2 electric smoker with two hickory chunks.
Wifey and I drove to the airport and flew around the neighborhood and the lake area, got home as the sun was going down.
About 8PM that evening Wifey and I headed out to have a few drinks (she has the drinks, I am a beer drinker) and listen to a blues band. She got toasted after her max of 2 drinks she sips on and I brought her home to go to bed, I stayed up and had a few (several) more beers and did some IFR flight practice on my computer trainer set up. Went to bed, woke up about 9AM. IT was 186, must have been a long stall. Needed a Bloody Marry with breakfast omelets and the fried potatoes Wifey fixed for sure..
Couple hours later the beeper went off, 200' IT, time to foil and put in the cooler.
In the past, If I would stay on top of my charcoaler that I put major wood chunks in with that I watched 24/7, most likely somewhe would have gone past my temp objective at some time in my smoke. Yes, I would have a pretty pink ring. No ring now, just good brisket.
Now I "set it and forget it" until the beeper goes off. (had that "forget it" happen with a PB recently) Sitting here watching a football game one day and Wifey and I immediately looked at each other with a "What the hell is that" beeper going off when we both forgot a few seconds I had put a PB on the day before.
Yep, fire cooked brisket (or anything else) is better every time it is smoked. I commend all that cook that way. I enjoyed doing that my self many years. How much better? 2% 4% 20% ---- depends on your tastebuds vs time and $. I cooked my last ribs on the propane grill, just having fun now.
Bottom line, If you are not having fun, do something different. Sometimes I can have more fun doing something else rather than watching a smoker 20 hours, sometimes not, in either case I can turn out an edible brisket or PB Charcoal/wood, electric, or propane burner. Use what you got, and eat it. Most of us always strive to make it better next time. The rest of them go to the local bbq joint and survive..