Introduction
Imagine this: you’ve been tending your smoker for hours, watching your brisket’s internal temperature climb steadily. Everything is going great until suddenly it hits about 155°F… and then it just stops. The temperature reading won’t budge for what feels like forever. You start wondering if your thermometer is broken or if you’ve messed up. Relax – “you’ve hit the stall,” and it’s a completely normal part of smoking meat.
What is the Stall?
The “stall” (also known as the plateau or the zone) is a phenomenon that happens when you smoke larger cuts of meat low and slow. After several hours of cooking, the meat’s internal temperature usually reaches around 150–170°F. At that point, the rising temperature suddenly plateaus and can even drop a bit. In other words, your meat’s internal temp just stops increasing for a while, often lasting for hours. It’s not a cooker malfunction or bad luck – it’s science in action.
This temperature stall tends to catch beginners off guard. I remember my first time smoking a pork shoulder. I was thrilled as the temperature climbed past 140°F. Then it sat stubbornly at 155°F for what seemed like an eternity. I poked the fire, adjusted the vents, and even considered cranking the heat. I didn’t know it then, but I was simply experiencing what every pitmaster has faced. The stall is an inevitable rite of passage when you’re doing true low-and-slow barbecue.
Why Does Your Meat Temperature Plateau? (The Science Behind the Stall)
So, what causes this mysterious stall? In short, evaporative cooling is the culprit. As the meat cooks, it “sweats” out moisture that evaporates from the surface. That evaporation cools the meat’s surface, much like sweat cools your skin on a hot day.
Your smoker might be pumping heat into the meat, but that heat is being offset by the cooling effect of moisture evaporating. The two forces balance each other out. As a result, the internal temperature levels off instead of rising. Essentially, the meat is cooling itself almost as fast as the cooker is heating it, creating a temperature stalemate.
For a visual, pitmasters often compare it to a marathon runner sweating. The meat releases internal juices to the surface, and those juices evaporate away, taking heat with them. Until that excess surface moisture is gone, the internal temp won’t rise much. This stalemate can persist for quite a while. In fact, it’s not uncommon for the stall to last anywhere from one to several hours. Only after the meat’s surface begins to dry out will the temperature start climbing again.
Early on, there were a lot of BBQ folk tales about the stall. Some believed it was caused by fat rendering or collagen breaking down in the meat (since those things happen around the same temperature). Yes, those processes are happening, but they aren’t the reason your thermometer needle is stuck. We now know it’s the simple physics of moisture evaporation. In fact, food scientists proved this by experiment: a wet sponge in a smoker will stall just like a brisket, whereas a piece of pure fat will heat steadily with no stall.
It’s really all about the meat’s moisture evaporating and cooling the surface, not fat or connective tissue “magic.”
The good news is that the stall eventually ends on its own. There is only so much water in the meat that can evaporate. Once the surface dries out enough, the cooling effect diminishes and the meat’s internal temperature will begin rising again. And no, the stall won’t last forever or suck all the juices out of your meat. There’s plenty of moisture deep inside the muscle fibers and fat, so your prized brisket or pork butt will still be juicy and tender when it’s done.
In fact, that drawn-out stall period is when a lot of flavor and “bark” (the tasty, dark crust on the outside) develops. The surface drying, combined with heat and smoke, helps create that delicious bark we all love while the stall is happening.
How Long Does the Stall Last?
The duration of a stall can vary, but be prepared for it to potentially stick around for a while. On average, you might see a stall last around 2–3 hours. However, it can be as short as an hour or stretch to 6–7 hours in more extreme cases
The exact length depends on factors like the size of the cut, the humidity in your smoker, the cooking temperature, and airflow. Bigger cuts with more moisture – like a large brisket or pork shoulder – might experience a longer stall. If your cooking environment is dry and breezy, that can also extend the stall. There’s simply more surface moisture to evaporate, and plenty of airflow to whisk it away. On the other hand, a more humid smoker or a higher cooking temperature can shorten the stall a bit. These conditions reduce the evaporative cooling effect somewhat. Every cook is a little different, so consider these as general ranges rather than a strict rule.
Pitmaster Tips: Handling it like a Pro
Experienced pitmasters know the stall is coming and don’t panic when it arrives. Here are some tried-and-true ways to deal with a stalling temperature and ensure your barbecue still turns out awesome:
- Patience is Key: First and foremost, don’t freak out. It’s tempting to crank up the heat when the internal temp stalls. But doing so can dry out or even scorch the outside of your meat before the inside finishes cooking. Instead, ride it out if you can. The stall is normal. Given some time, the temperature will eventually start rising again on its own.
- Give Yourself Plenty of Time: One of the golden rules in barbecue is to plan for the stall. If you think that brisket will take 10 hours, budget for 12 or more – just in case. That way, you’re not eating at midnight because the meat decided to stall for three hours longer than expected. (We’ve all been there: dinner guests eyeballing the smoker while you nervously watch that thermometer.) It’s much better to finish early and hold your meat warm than to be behind schedule. Pro tip: aim to have the meat done about an hour or two before serving time. That way it can rest properly (and you can relax).
- Keep the Lid Closed: Constantly opening the smoker to check on things will drop your cooker’s temperature. It also introduces cool air, which can extend the stall even further. Trust your thermometer and resist the urge to peek too often. Each time you lift the lid, you lose heat and interrupt the cooking. As the saying goes, “if you’re lookin’, you ain’t cookin’.”
- The Texas Crutch (Wrap It Up): This is the classic trick to bust through a stubborn stall. The “Texas Crutch” means wrapping your meat tightly in aluminum foil (or butcher paper) partway through the cook. By wrapping, you trap heat and moisture around the meat. It creates a mini high-humidity environment that prevents further evaporation. With no more evaporative cooling, the internal temperature can power through the stall and start rising again. Wait until your meat hits the stall (usually around 150°F internal) and make sure it has developed a nice bark on the outside. Then wrap it up snugly. Foil will stop moisture from escaping almost completely, speeding up the cook. Butcher paper (a pinkish-brown food-grade paper) is a popular alternative to foil. It lets a bit more steam out, which helps preserve the bark texture while still speeding up the cook. Either way, wrapping can significantly cut down the length of the stall, often shaving hours off your cook time. Just keep in mind that wrapping essentially steams the meat’s exterior. If an extra-crispy bark is your top priority, you might skip the wrap on certain cooks. In those cases, you’ll just wait it out to keep the bark intact.
- Add a Splash of Liquid (Optional): Some pitmasters like to spritz the meat or add a little liquid into the wrap before sealing it. A small pour of beer, apple juice, or broth inside the foil can create extra steam. It essentially braises the meat as it cooks, helping to push through the stall even faster and adding a touch of extra flavor. This step isn’t required, but if you do it, use just a little liquid (you’re not boiling the meat, just keeping it moist).
- Know When to Unwrap: If you use the Texas Crutch, remember to unwrap your meat for the last stage of cooking. Once the internal temperature is just shy of your target, it’s time to let it breathe. (For a brisket, this might be around 195°F.) Open up the foil or paper and put the meat back on the smoker for a few minutes. This allows the bark to dry out and firm back up nicely. That way, you get the benefit of a quicker cook and a flavorful, crispy bark. If you skip this step, the bark might stay a bit softer from the steaming. It will still be tasty, but not quite the same texture.
For beginner and intermediate grillers, the key takeaway is that the stall is nothing to fear. The first time you encounter it, it can be confusing and nerve-wracking – your brisket or pork butt suddenly isn’t cooking like it was. But now you know that this temperature plateau is a normal, expected part of the smoking process. It’s science, not failure.
Armed with this knowledge, you won’t be caught off guard next time. You’ll know exactly why your meat’s temperature has flatlined and have a game plan to deal with it. Maybe you’ll wrap the meat and power through the stall when you’re pressed for time. Or maybe you’ll just kick back and wait it out, knowing that all the low-and-slow magic is still happening inside that smoker.
Either way, your patience will pay off with delicious results. So next time your smoker session hits a stall, take a deep breath and smile. You’re in on the pitmaster secret now. Embrace the stall, and look forward to that moment when the temperature starts rising again – because that means dinner is back on track, and it’s going to be fantastic.
Grilling can be dangerous. Information provided is for educational purposes only. Always follow proper grilling and food safety guidelines when handling and cooking meat. Use a meat thermometer to ensure safe internal temperatures, wash hands and surfaces thoroughly, and avoid cross-contamination.
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