[smokainmuskoka]

I did an 8# brisket on my kettle a couple of weeks ago, and my setup is much the same as the one Bluedawg posted the image of, no foil on the cool side, though.

I used firebricks in my kettle, but put the meat(fat up) in an aluminum pan to collect the juices so I could baste a bit later in the cook. I had an aluminum loaf pan with some hot water over the left hand end of the charcoal area. I generally put my lit coals on the right side and let them burn across. I find the heat transmitting through the grill grate is enough to produce humidity and also stabilize the temp.

I rubbed with granualted garlic, Montreal Steak Spice and coarse ground black pepper while I was waiting for my 10 briquettes to light(5/5:30 am - day off).

With my temp ranging between 275 and 325, the brisket was in the kettle for maybe 9, 9 and a half hours.

I let the brisket go until the internal temp was about 205, then removed the point for burnt ends(first attempt -saved that for immediate family only, not the guests) and foiled, towelled and coolered the flat for 2 hours before serving.

I'm not a brisket-meister or anything, I usually do ribs on my kettle. It just sounds like your temp got a too high. But if the end result was tasty, it wasn't a complete loss, just inspiration for another try!