Larry, your method sounds good to me. Especially using a therma pen.
I'm pretty careful where I put my Maverick probe, but it's just a thermometer, not the word of God. That's why I check the readings. I usually check the same way I test steak, pressing my fingers into the meat. If it feels tough, I'll either move the Mav's probe or take it's temp with an instant read. Like you, I pull at a skosh over 190. 200 is too done, especially for the kind of meat I use.
Personally, I like the science, but I know it's not everyone's dish of tea. Still, just in case, I thought the poor guy was entitled to know why a single probe reading in brisket might be as much as 20 degrees hot.
Rich