First brisket and picnic shoulder

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Help! I put them both in using the Minion method last night at 8pm. Now it's 3pm and the brisket has been stuck at 176 for 3 hours and the picnic has been stuck at 185 for 3 hours also. They're both about 9lbs and I have the picnic over the brisket. The temperature has been steady at 235. Should I take it out now? I'm afraid it's going to dry out. It's been in there for 19 hours already.
 
Check them now, to see if they're done. If a fork slides in and out easily, they're done. If not, wrap then tightly in foil and return to the smoker.

Crank the heat up. I assume your 235 is a lid temp. That's a little too low IMHO. Shoot for at least 250 for the rest of the cook.

JimT
 
The temperature of the picnic eventually went up to 190 degrees. It took 19.5 hours to cook the 9lb picnic. After about an hour I shredded it and it wasn't too bad. It was a little dry - maybe due to the fact that I left it in there that long. Once I put the Carolina Red sauce on it - it was pretty good
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The temperature of the brisket went up to 183 and I decided to use the "fork test" and the fork easily slid in and out so I took it out and foiled it.

I tested all the thermometers I used and they are OK. Don't know why it took so long. Anyways, thanks for the quick replies.

-andrew
 
How are you measuring the temp of the wsm? You said you're at 235º, but is that at the lid? If so, you might have to consider that the temp at the grate is lower. Low and slow is good, but too low can take a long time and dry out the meat. That may be all that happened.
 
It was actually 235 at the upper grate. It seemed like I hit 2 plateaus with the picnic and the brisket.

I sliced the brisket and it was a little dry also, but it tasted pretty good. Good smoke flavor and with a nice smoke ring. My friends came by and they thoroughly enjoyed it with KC masterpiece and honey as a sauce.
 
Andrew, I live in the central Shennandoah Valley of Virginia. We have lots of nice breezes and usually a chil most nights. I think the humidity and temperature have a pretty large impact on an "all-nighter." It almost always takes 18 to 20 hours to get a butt at internal temp of 190 to 195 here. That is true if I cook two 6 pounders, or 6 - 5 pounders! I understand the plateau of 170, I have seen 170 remain steady for 3 hours......Also, the meat has a lot to do with the timing, and usually it is hard to tell how one will perform!!
 
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