I trim and season the night before. I have a recteq which has the pot in the center and with the deflector and drip pan, I haven't noticed much of a hot spot. Haven't done a biscuit test, but I did note the amount of discoloration on the bottom of the drip pan were a tad darker on the right side which is where my hopper is. I place the point toward that side just to be safe. As for the bourbon, I live in a board controlled state. Stupid I know but thats where the grandkids are so it is what it is. When the weather cools a bit, we'll start tripping in the RV. I'll hit some stores once we cross that state line and stock up on what I can't get locally. Just been so blasted hot that I just don't want to travel right now. Thanks for the seasoning tip. Gonna give that a shot.