High temperature stall

  • Some of the links on this forum allow SMF, at no cost to you, to earn a small commission when you click through and make a purchase. Let me know if you have any questions about this.
SMF is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.

smokintx

Newbie
Original poster
Feb 27, 2012
2
10
I decided to cook my first 13 lb packer brisket over the weekend   Things didn't go just as planned.  I started out Sat at 6 PM.  Room temp brisket, trimmed the fat lightly and scored, applied the dry rub.  I have a heavy gauge offset smoker.  The smoker was around 240 F.  I usually have to tend the fire every 30 mins to an hour to keep it hot and steady - which is fine until about 3 am when I got tired.  At 3 AM the internal temp hit 160, so I wrapped the brisket in foil.  I took the Maverick remote inside and took cat nap.  Oops.  I woke at 8 AM.  The BBQ temp had dropped to140.  The internal meat temp was now 135. 

I fired the BBQ back up to 250.  By Sun at 4 PM it the internal meat temp was 179.  At 7 PM, I hit 189.  I couldn't get it to 190 which was my target.  Instead over the next 2 hrs it dropped to 187, then 185.  I gave up at 930 Pm and pulled it. I drained the juices from the foil and put it in a cooler a couple hours.  Then I put it in the fridge.  I didn't even look at the thing.  

My main question is the high temp stall and temp drop.  Should I have left it on longer?  Just seemed like a long time.  Also to prep now - after 24 hours in the fridge - any suggestions? Thanks!
 
It is normal for large chunks of meat to stall when cooking, I have even heard of them hitting around 150 to 160 stalling and the temp actually dropping some, be 4 it goes back up, what kind of thermometers where you using for the smoker temps and the food? and have they been calibrated?
 
 
I have the dial thermometer on the grill, but I also have the maverick with two probes.  haven't calibrated.  Not sure how.  I think the internal meat one is correct as I used it with another instant read and got the same results. 
 
boil some water and place the tip of the probe in it, not the whole probe cause they will short out if you get water in them

I don't know if you can use ice water you might get the LLL signal from the probe with the maverick
 
SmokingMeatForums.com is reader supported and as an Amazon Associate, we may earn commissions from qualifying purchases.

Latest posts

Hot Threads

Clicky