Until Ribdog chimes in, here are a couple thoughts,since we don't seem to talk much about bark formation..
Good brisket should taste like beef,and be enhanced by the smoke and rub.
Folks use sauce to hide bad meat.The TX contests,you are disqualified for any sauce, on the meat you turn in to be judged.
Folks that are used to pure stickburners get used to heavier smoke,sometimes oversmoked.
Thus, folks might wrap in foil,or paper,to avoid oversmoking.
This can happen with the traditional CS.
An FEC burns extremely efficiently,thus cleaner smoke/airflow.
The traditional electric Cookshacks can lay on much more smoke,if desired.
It is very difficult to get deep smoke penetration from any source.
The cook might use mesquite on short cooks/grilling,as it can be very strong,but overwhelming and bitter on long cooks.
If we want a little heavier smoke flavor,cooks might cook longer, down in the smoke settings.
Past cooks in brisket country,cooking a large cooker full of packers,thought nothing unusual about cooking at 180*-200* for 24 hrs,then storing all together in large coolers to finish .
Smokerings are cosmetic,but found attractive by some folks,so you might get more at low temps in the FECs.
The thin slice,often done from the flat,has a minimal exterior surface.
The first bite taken from that thin slice must have a lot of flavor, to carry the rest of the slice.
Thus, the stronger,longer lasting flavors,such as salt,pepper,garlic,onion,-along with the smoke, can give you that strong bite.[Bark]
Mouthfeel/texture can also be achieved by a good bark.
This is why we talk about mixing our pulled pork,to spread that flavor and texture from the bark.
To the basic rubs,some folks will add white and brown sugars.
At low temps,these usually don't scorch.
Many cooks use Sugar in the Raw/turbinado sugar as it may go up around 275* without scorching.
The slower start will have some effect on bark,and color.The sugar in/on your rub will also have a large effect.
Some cooks will put on all the rub and sugar a big hunk of meat will hold and reseason again, later in the cook.
Thus,you don't hear dust/sprinkle,etc. used on large meats.
You read that a 12 oz bottle of rub and a half box of sugar may not be too much on a large packer.
A typical comp pork box might be more than a lb and be 50/50 bark.
These are areas to try, and make good notes ,about flavor and texture of your bark.
We might also cook a little differently for the backyard,than we do for comps.
Ribdog,an excellent ,experienced cook of all kinds, should be by directly.
He'll probably have some additional thoughts.
Hope this Smokin' post helps a little.
