Old timers ALWAYS know some hidden gem technique. That corner blade trick sounds like something nobody teaches in school. I'd pay attention to any client with that much experience.

Totally agree man, I've been doing the towel on top thing for years and it's honestly a game changer. I had a brisket once where I put the towel underneath and after 36 hours the bottom was all dry and leathery but the top still felt damp in spots. Switched to draping it over the top loosely and the whole surface gets that tacky feel even after just 24 hours. The crust I get now is way more even and actually holds up when I hit it with the sear.

Jumped in headfirst with gel connectors on a dry run a few years back... thought I was saving time. Three months later every single one was turning green inside. It's like using winter tires in summer yeah they work but you're just asking for trouble. That lesson stuck with me more than any manual ever could.

Still have that paid app sitting in a folder like a museum piece.

@sarahsullivan I was exactly like you until about 200 hours in. Used to just dump a bag of charcoal in my old kettle and call it good. Then I bought this used stick burner and realized I was wasting good meat. Started keeping a log just to figure out what I kept doing wrong. Now I write down the wood type, outside temp, wind direction, and how long each split burns. It sounds overkill but my wife swears my brisket got 10x better once I started tracking details. You don't need a log book to get good results but it sure helped me figure out my worst habits.