I heard a guy on a bbq podcast out of Austin say the same thing about ditching the spray bottle. His point was that opening the lid every 45 minutes just dumps heat and lets the fire breathe wrong, so you get that bitter smoke taste you mentioned. I started going by the bark at my place in Boerne and my butts got way better too. That matte look is the signal, not the clock. The one thing I still watch is not letting it go too far past matte before the wrap goes on.

The $63 letter probably wasn't from the software you used or didn't use, that's likely the self employment tax. When you're a freelancer you pay both halves of social security and medicare, so about 15 percent right off the top, and that hits even on a small gig. Nine hours sounds about right though, the home office part is where most people get lost because the rules are picky about what counts. The $89 is honestly less about the software doing the math and more about it asking the right questions so you don't miss something. Anyway your mileage may vary but that's my read on the letter.