Anyone ever seen a brisket stall in the 140*s? [Pastrami actually]


 
R

Rob O

TVWBB Pro
Hey there.

So has anybody ever seen a brisket stall in the 140s?

Thought I'd do some pastrami this weekend. Making it from a 4 lb flat. About 4 hours into the cook at 225 I've moved up a grand total of 1* in the last hour.

I've had some stubborn flats before but don't think I've ever hit the stall this low.
 
Hey guys. I'm using my trusty CyberQ Wifi Probes. I trust them.

Looks like this is going to be a much longer cook than I planned. 6 hours and I'm only up to 153.

Since it's pastrami I wnat to keep it at the low end of the scale.

I'll add some fuel in an hour and cross check with my thermapen.
 
Rob,

When you add the fuel, could you note the amount of the meat's surface moisture, as compared to one of your past cooks.
Would be interesting to see if, for some reason, there is an abnormally high amount.

Bob
 
Hi probes are dead on.

Bob, It's dark here but from my flashlight I didn't notice anything unusual. That said, it's a fully (dry) cured pastrami so don't know whether it would be a good indicator.

The curing process draws moisture out.

Well... never figured this was going to be an overnight cook. Six hours in and I'm stuck at 156. It's almost like I'm doing a packer.
 
Rob,

A Most Interesting stall !
While the stall is generally caused by the evaporative cooling of the meat due to moisture being liberated from the meat, in this case (some) that moisture should have already been drawn out during the cure process.

Never have tried making pastrami, although I would like to someday.

Let us know how everything turns out. Best of luck to you.

Bob
 
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Now that I think about it, this time around I tried soaking the brisket after the cure for a couple of hours. Maybe it saturated the meat and that's part of the reason for the early and prolonged stall as well as the lower temp.

Still, I'm at nearly 15 hours to smoke a 4 lb flat and I'm stil not done. - 188*F and didn't pass the probe test - wow.

If anybody had told me this was going to be an overnight cook I'd have laughed at them.

I was supposed to rest this thing for 12 hours before steaming. That's not gonna happen..........
 
Yes. Last week did a 3# corn beef flat that I was making into pastrami. Stayed at 150º for over three hours before I ended up wrapping in foil. After 7 hours(time for supper) it was just 180º and not even close to fork tender. Still tasted good though.
 
Rob O said:
Now that I think about it, this time around I tried soaking the brisket after the cure for a couple of hours. Maybe it saturated the meat and that's part of the reason for the early and prolonged stall as well as the lower temp.

Still, I'm at nearly 15 hours to smoke a 4 lb flat and I'm stil not done. - 188*F and didn't pass the probe test - wow.

If anybody had told me this was going to be an overnight cook I'd have laughed at them.

I was supposed to rest this thing for 12 hours before steaming. That's not gonna happen..........
Click to expand...

Wow Rob that's a long time.
Never heard of a long cook for a 4lb flat. Keep us updated and hopefully your taking pictures.
 
Here are some pictures. Pulled it right around 14 hours(!). Color was good. Bark was good.

Certainly was not tender. BUT I never worry about tender with pastrami. I ALWAYS steam it.

First pic right after pulling.

 
Well it's confirmed. Another pastrami. 4# flat. Stalled right at 147*.

This particular flat was wet brined/cured. Then desalinated for about 12 hours.

Rubbed and been resting for about 6 weeks.

Guess it must be something about pastrami.
 
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