Yeah, my last brisket rest was a disaster too. Felt like I was serving leather. Maybe the cooler wasn't hot enough to start with.

Honestly, my go-to move is to just stop everything and get everyone on the same page, even if it makes me look like a control freak. Tbh, I've spent way too long trying to decipher frantic hand signals that were just someone waving at a passing pigeon. Ngl, half the time my best plan B is to pretend I need a bathroom break just to get a quiet minute to think.

But letting walls breathe can actually prevent that swamp cave feeling over time. Lime mortar handles moisture way better than cement-based mixes.