PSA: the $40 thermometer a pitmaster in KC handed me finally got my brisket past the stall
Two summers back I was stuck at 150 degrees for almost 3 hours on an 11 pound packer and ready to crank the heat. An old pit guy named Ray at a contest in Kansas City leaned over and asked if I was cooking to a number or to feel, then put his own cheap dial thermometer in my flat and showed me it read 8 degrees hotter than mine. I ignored him for a bit and kept trusting my lid gauge, which turned out to be the real problem. Next cook I used a $40 digital probe at grate level, wrapped at 165, and pulled it at 203 after about 14 hours total. Now my brisket comes out right and I still feel dumb about that lost afternoon. Anybody else trust the lid thermometer way too long?