Spent 4 hours fighting a brisket stall that wouldn't budge

I don't know if it's just me but I had this brisket on my offset last Saturday that hit a stall at 160 degrees and just sat there for almost three hours. I had a small crew coming over for a backyard cookout at 6 pm and it was already 2 30 with no sign of the thing moving. I tried bumping the fire up a little, wrapped it in butcher paper, even checked my thermometer with boiling water to make sure it wasn't lying to me. Finally after I wrapped it tight in foil and let it ride at 275 it broke through after another hour. But by then I had to rush the rest and it came out decent but not my best work. Anyone else ever had a stall that felt like it was personally out to get you?

3 comments

3 Comments

daniel_lane301mo ago

Gotta disagree with the whole rush-job thing though. Honestly, I think you were overthinking it. I've had briskets stall hard at 160 before and I just leave em alone, maybe bump it to 250 and let it ride. Wrapping in foil that quick can mess with the bark texture if you ask me. When my crew's coming over I tell em "beer's cold, food's hot whenever it's hot" and they always show up late anyway. That extra hour in foil at 275 probably steamed it up more than you admit.

lauras831mo ago

That stall was definitely out to get you, sounds like it had a personal vendetta against your timeline. I swear it's like a power move where the meat decides to take a nap right when you need it to hustle. Did the foil wrap save the day or did you ruin beef is what I'm wondering here?

amy_foster791mo ago

You ever try wrapping it in foil and tossing it in a cooler for an hour @lauras83? That saved my brisket once when it just would not budge past 160. Came out tender, not ruined.