Glad it went well.
My preference is to smoke on a lower temp until they hit 100, then I bump the temp up and pull at 120 or 125, the let them sit for at least 2 to 4 hours.
Yeah, I've learned that lesson about carving to early. I'm not sure of the food science reason why it changes color after exposure to air. It's not like it's cooking any longer.
How did it go for portion size and amount of food cooked for that group. I know that was one of the questions you had early on. How did you slide them, full slices or 1/2 slices?