The Stall, Bad Therm, or Cook's Error?

[Brian Johnson]

Finally pulled the trigger and decided to bbq my first brisket flat. Got a new Maverick 732 for Christmas and am using it now. Fired my WSM and got the meat on around 10 pm. It's 8:30 am now (so about 10 hours later) and the meat temp is still 167 F. During prep I anticipated 10 hours from in the pit to on the plate (using 1.5 hours per pound plus 30% of the cook time to rest, that's 7.5 and 2.25 hours respectively for a 5 lb flat).

So here is the question. Am I just still in the stall or did I screw something up? I don't think it's the Maverick as it's been tracking the pit temp well all night. So is it time to panic?

Edit: Well no sooner than I hit "POST" and walk across the room did I notice the brisket temp has started to rise again (172 F). So I guess it was the stall after all, and my wife and I had a good laugh about the timing of it all.

 

[Marc]

What temp. are you cooking at? You might want to bump it up. The other thing is check for tenderness and not a temp. in the flat.

 

[Brian Johnson]

What temp. are you cooking at? You might want to bump it up. The other thing is check for tenderness and not a temp. in the flat.

I had been cooking at 250, but had to add some lit coals this morning (started with a good number of previously used coals last night) and haven't exactly been able to settle in to 250 again. So it's running a little hotter right now.

I've checked for tenderness once and it was not. But, I'll be keeping an eye out for it, especially now that I know the flat temp is rising again.

 

[Bob Sample]

Take the temp probe out when it hits 190 and just test for tender after that. People get to hung up on temps when cooking and don't pay enough attention to tenderness.

 

[Alan F]

Is it a really thick flat? That's a long time for 5lb. Are you sure you're at 250f?

Last night I did a 14lb packer. It went on at midnight at 257f. At 6am it was wrapped and the temp increased to 275. It was done at 9am.

 

[John Wheeler]

We've all been victim of "the stall", or dry hump if you will. Just when you think you got it, you don't! Story of my life! Lmao

 

[Brian Johnson]

Thanks for all the tips and encouragement! I ended up pulling the brisket around the 12 hour mark. The temp read 187, but the skewers went in fairly smooth so I figured closed enough. Transferred it to a cooler and let it rest/hold for a while before slicing. At the end of the day it was a tasty meal and what I would call a success for a first time out.

 

[Tony R]

Thanks for all the tips and encouragement! I ended up pulling the brisket around the 12 hour mark. The temp read 187, but the skewers went in fairly smooth so I figured closed enough. Transferred it to a cooler and let it rest/hold for a while before slicing. At the end of the day it was a tasty meal and what I would call a success for a first time out.

Glad to hear it worked out....
Any pics?

 

[Brian Johnson]

Glad to hear it worked out....
Any pics?

Sorry no pics. We've been cleaning and organizing the house and I still don't know where my camera lasted. Plus it didn't even occur to me since it was an overnighter and I don't ever get good pics in the dark. Next time though. And there will be a next time.