Long brisket stall?


 
B

Brian Lee

TVWBB Fan
I cooked a 12 pound choice packer yesterday. I put it on my WSM @ 4:30 AM. The temp at the grill was 250-275F the entire cook. By 10:30 AM it was @ 168F so I took it off and wrapped it in paper. I put it back on the grill (without the temp probe inserted). I figured after 4 hours it would be ready, but when I took it off @2:30 PM, my Thermapen said 167F. I was bit surprised it had stalled for 4 hours, so I put it back on with the temp probe inserted into the thicket part of the point. By 3:00 PM the temp finally moved up to 179F and then by 3:30 PM it was at 195F, so I pulled it and confirmed it was probe tender with a wooden skewer.

My question: Is a stall of 4.5 hours on the long side? Or are there a wide variety of factors that impact the stall such as brisket size, cut, temp and other conditions?

Here are the pics:

Before wrapping:

image_zps9zpjnuyq.jpeg
[/URL][/IMG]

Pulled @ 195F:

image_zpsvqkhjhyt.jpeg
[/URL][/IMG]

Sliced (point and flat):

image_zpsp5d7lnbw.jpeg
[/URL][/IMG]

This was my third time cooking a whole brisket. And the first time wrapping in paper.
 
Nice looking brisket. A 12-14-hour cook is not unusual for a 12-pounder. And a 4+ hour stall is fairly typical. You did the right thing -- wait until it probes tender, regardless of time and temp.

One of the keys to max moisture and tenderness is to rest the cooked brisket, foil-wrapped in a cooler with towels for about 3 hours. Let the internal temp drop to about 170-ish before you rest it.

Jeff
 
That brisket looks phenomenal! 4.5 hours is long but I've had it happen to me a ton of times. I've noticed paper does not help at all when it comes to the stall. The stall is caused by the meat cooking at the wet bulb temperature until the surface dries. Then it cooks at the dry bulb temperature. The wet bulb temperature is effected by the amount of moisture. You can add more moisture thereby increasing the wet bulb temp but you will also keep the surface moist making it take longer to cook. I'm not sure what the answer is other than the stall is a pain. Cooking at higher temps seems to help. More airflow can help the surface of the meat get crusty faster.
 
J Hasselberger said:
Nice looking brisket. A 12-14-hour cook is not unusual for a 12-pounder. And a 4+ hour stall is fairly typical. You did the right thing -- wait until it probes tender, regardless of time and temp.

One of the keys to max moisture and tenderness is to rest the cooked brisket, foil-wrapped in a cooler with towels for about 3 hours. Let the internal temp drop to about 170-ish before you rest it.

Jeff
Click to expand...

Hi Jeff, thanks for the feedback. Yes, I left it unwrapped until the temp dropped to around 170F, then double wrapped it foil + towel, then put it in a plastic cooler for about 1.5 hours. Was very tender. We ate it with pickles, onions and saltines.
 
Beautiful looking brisket Brian. Always remember this, "BBQ is done when it is done". Every piece of meat is different. Sounds like you played it very smart and followed good procedure.
 
Great looking finish for the win! You mentioned a wide variety of factors that affect us, and outdoor conditions are one.
It's not that every piece of meat is different, just that every cook we do outdoors is different based on the temps , wind and humidity.:wsm:

Tim
 
Brian Lee said:
Hi Jeff, thanks for the feedback. Yes, I left it unwrapped until the temp dropped to around 170F, then double wrapped it foil + towel, then put it in a plastic cooler for about 1.5 hours. Was very tender. We ate it with pickles, onions and saltines.
Click to expand...

I see that you've served up your brisket in true Lockhart fashion. Did you serve sauce? Use forks?

Kreuz cup by Jeff Hasselberger, on Flickr
 
That brisket looks excellent Brian. Grate job.
As I mentioned in another thread, I had to wait 7 hrs to get from 168f to 203f for a 4.5lb pork shoulder.
As others have said, it's done when it's done. Open another cold one, & watch the magic unfold! :D
 
Brian Lee said:
Hi Jeff, no forks; we ate with our hands and had a bottle of hot sauce as a condiment. I also smoked a few fresh kielbasa and ABTs. And served cold slaw.
Click to expand...

Brian, as Jeff Foxworthy would say, "you just might be a Texan." :)

Jeff
P.S. There is hot sauce is on the table at Kreuz'. Nice touch.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

 

Back
Top