At the heart of the story is George Boyle, a pitmaster who undergoes a spiritual and moral "stall." After watching the film Okja , he determines that his life’s work is a "temple of carnage" and decides to go vegan. This choice creates a literal financial stall for his brother, Taffy, who is desperate to close a major business deal. The title is a clever double entendre, referring to both the point in barbecue when the meat's temperature stops rising and the 16-minute window Taffy creates to commit murder while a pre-recorded segment of his radio show airs. A Symphony of Sound

The third episode of Rian Johnson’s Poker Face , titled is a masterful study of how sound, timing, and sensory details can be weaponized in a "howcatchem" mystery. Set in the smoky, high-stakes world of Texas barbecue, the episode explores themes of morality and the inescapable truth behind a "perfectly" cooked alibi. The Alchemy of the Stall

Taffy poisons George with carbon monoxide from a meat smoker, using dental floss to lock the door from the outside to stage a suicide.