We smoke briskets for about 5 hours at 225F with lots of hickory smoke. We then wrap them and finish like in this video.
Smoked Brisket - The most popular videos are a click away
How to Straighten Wire - Starving Artists
This is how I do it too. I usually have 6 to 8 feet of wire between either Susie and myself or a vice and myself.
Steve