Success! Well, kind of....
I’ll start by saying, in the end, i had 2 tender briskets and everyone loved them. I ran into 2 problems. 1) the lower brisket under the upper deck had a difficult time forming a bark. I switched them, then the one I moved to the bottom had a hard time getting more bark. 2). After I wrapped them with paper, they were too big and did not allow hot air to get between them. This caused the internal meat temp to climb VERY slow, too slow. Eventually I moved one to an oven and finished the other in the smoker. It was also my first time using paper instead of foil. Despite the inferior bark, the outside was crispy! Paper makes a huge difference compared to foil. The paper also allowed the bark to form AFTER it was wrapped. Lesson learned: i love the texture paper gives the bark! In a crunch, it is possible to cook 2 brisket in a Weber kettle 26”. If I can help it, I’ll never cook 2 at one time in a Weber kettle. Both brisket were about 14-15 pounds.
