Confused by a brisket I just smoked

Keyrock

Just cut into a brisket I started last night. Same smoking technique I've always used but ended up with no smoke ring and very little flavor. It was the same consistency as previous briskets and just as moist, but I didn't get any flavor from the smoke or the rub I applied to it.

I usually use water soaked hickory chips (I know some don't like that method, but it's worked fine for me in the past), but this time I combined hickory and pecan chips (soaked) in a 1:1 blend. Even if they don't go well together that doesn't explain the absence of a smoke ring (or does it?).

I wrapped the brisket in foil at about four hours after it hit around 156 (something else I've always done and has worked well). I've heard a lot of people say that meat doesn't really take up any more smoke after three hours. I also added some boiling water just before wrapping.

Summary:

- same Angus packer brisket I always get from Sam's club - 13 lbs.
- rubbed with mustard and an A-1 Bold Original rub.
- water soaked hickory and pecan chips 1:1. Waited until smoke cleared up to put the meat on.
- smoked at 225 the whole time.
- foiled at the 4 hr mark at 156. Added 2-3 oz of boiling water before returning it to the egg.
- pulled at 205 and immediately wrapped it (still foiled) in a towel and placed in an igloo cooler.
- removed from igloo after 2 hrs and served.


Is it possible to add too much water/liquid at the point of wrapping? Could that have washed off the rub? I still can't figure out what happened to the smoke ring I always get.

Also, I did use an A-1 rub that I may not have used on brisket before. I know I've used it on beef ribs and it was awesome on those. Maybe it's not right for brisket.

As I said, everything else about it was fine, and with some BBQ sauce it was actually quite good. But I don't like making things that need sauce in order to taste good. 

If anyone has any thoughts, I'd love to hear them. Don't want to make the same mistake twice. Thanks.

lousubcap

I've had a few adult supervisory beverages today but I am trying to sort out how many variables you changed with this cook compared to successes.
And the meat will always take smoke as long the surface temp is less than the surrounding smoke temp.  The smoke ring on the other hand only develops until the meat temp rises to around 140-150*F.  FWIW-