Perfect bark every time" seems like a stretch. That non-stop poking looks like a ton of work for just one part of the meal. Does the brisket always turn out that good, or is it sometimes just okay?

My last job actually fired people for not speaking up, @masonb99.

Have you considered that maybe the wood dried out and shifted after Steve built it? I've got shelves held together with pocket screws that have been rock solid for ages. It sounds like the problem could be more about how the screws were placed or the wood itself changing. Dados are strong, but they take a lot more time and tools for what might be a small gain. Isn't it possible that with better planning, pocket screws would have been just fine?

Man I used to just trust the oven dial every time. Baked a pizza that came out soggy in the middle and cookies that spread into one giant mess. After a few fails like that, I finally bought an oven thermometer. Turns out my oven runs almost 25 degrees cold. Now I check it without fail.

My own color-coding leads to similar mix-ups.