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Temperature Drop during Brisket Plateau?

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24

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  • Unknown
    Unknown
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    I can handle this one myself, but thank you for trying.
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  • Unknown
    Unknown
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    Just a quick update here:

    I just hit the 6-hour mark, and the plateau is nearing 4 hours. While it had dropped to about 152F initially, the meat has been hovering around 153.5F for the past hour or so. The dome temperature continues to hold steady at just under 250F. Also, my thermometer probe was inserted into the middle of the meat and has not been moved since it went on the grill.

    I'M NOT PANICKING YET :) because I really want to make it through the plateau. Right now, I'm still not convinced that coming out of the plateau isn't just a myth, like being able to land the plane on the aircraft carrier in Top Gun on Nintendo. I've heard people say it's happened, but I've never seen it with my own eyes!
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  • Fidel
    Fidel Posts: 10,172
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    Did you raise your dome temp yet? If it is still at 225 then your grid temp could be as low as 185 or so. At that temp it will take a long, long time to climb.
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  • Chubby
    Chubby Posts: 2,955
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    You're golden!

    "Good things come to those who let their briskets run"!!

    Someone.
    I spent most of my money on good bourbon, and bad women...the rest, I just wasted!!
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  • Unknown
    Unknown
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    Yup, kicked it up to 250, from 225 earlier
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  • Unknown
    Unknown
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    At best the DigiQ has a +/- of 2F accuracy - of course that says nothing about the precision of the DigiQ and I don't have a source for that..

    If something has a swing of +/- 2F accuracy, I don't think a precision +/-5 is unreasonable. Really though I don't know.

    Logic doesn't really seem to prevail on your side - on the contrary, I think it's on mine. I think stike is the only one attempted to reason it out for me - Ill go read that in detail.
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  • Unknown
    Unknown
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    i can't say exactly why. but i can say that it happens often.

    I appreciate you taking the time to explain it to me. I think we may actually agree on this because you seem to think also that it may be probing a different area of the meat. I am still stuck on how something heats to say 150, melts/renders, and as a consequence cools to 140. How is that possible? I don't see it.

    Anyway, I'm going to have to cut and run from this topic. I'll try to give it more thought later. I'm expecting my first child in about 6 hours and I should really go tend to my wife.

    Wish me luck!
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  • "Sparky"
    "Sparky" Posts: 6,024
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    You just go and read that in full,and while you're at it,why don't you go piss up a rope!!!!!!!!!!!!If you're not willing to learn,why bother coming here and being a complete a$$????????Just wonderin :whistle:
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  • THA
    THA Posts: 198
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    Have you guys ever heard of the term "endothermic reaction" or "exothermic reaction"

    This is when two chemicals get together or a single chemical converts and react to absorb (endothermic) or give off (exothermic) heat. When the fat converts to coligen, it is in the process of an endothermic reaction and absorbs more heat than is ambiant and therefore temps drop.

    http://chemistry.about.com/cs/generalchemistry/a/aa051903a.htm
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  • Unknown
    Unknown
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    Thank you for providing a logical and clear explanation, unlike the rest of my attackers.
    I stand corrected.
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  • Unknown
    Unknown
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    I take advice when it's good. When i don't take things as gospel (when I know it's wrong) I get shat on.

    Check it - Brisket on the guru:

    The BBQ guru -- where is this fabled drop in temp?
    ramp_mode_05.jpg

    Another one:
    20091024-Brisket-Graph.jpg

    What's so magical about these briskets so that they don't get this fabled temperature drop. There is something inconsistent in this....
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  • THA
    THA Posts: 198
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    Now, what about the baby???
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  • Unknown
    Unknown
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    Checking in:

    I just hit 8 hours. Dome temperature has held steady at 250F, yet the plateau continues around 154F.

    Time to start panicking?
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  • Unknown
    Unknown
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    What I find particulary disappointing is that all of your evidence is from others. It's apparent you absolutely no experience cooking brisket on the egg, and yet you remain firmly entrenched.

    In eight months I have done three briskets and a pair of pork shoulders. I do not recall the specifics, but do remember noting a drop in temperature during what I presumed was the plateau I had heard so much about. To be truthful, I believe it was with the pork shoulders, but the phenomenon was the same.
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  • FlaPoolman
    FlaPoolman Posts: 11,677
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    Two logs, one from 2002 and one from 2009???? I've had a dozen briskets and butts that did not drop during the plateau and another couple hundred that did. I don't know or pretend to know the science behind it but why would you call longtime cookers, indirectly, liars? It happens, live with it or cook 50 or 60 to prove or disprove it but don't come in here insinuating that what many people have witnessed is not true. A better statement would be you don't know why. Be an ass and get trashed or be nice and learn.
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  • Little Steven
    Little Steven Posts: 28,817
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    Well he doesn't have your eight months....that's for sure.

    Steve

    Steve 

    Caledon, ON

     

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  • Unknown
    Unknown
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    Beef is not linear, Spock.
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  • Grumpa
    Grumpa Posts: 861
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    Hang in there my friend. I put on a 5 lb brisket flat this morning at 8 AM. The thing plateaued at 155* around noon and then the temp dropped to 147* where it stayed until around 4:30 at which time it began to finally rise. It finally made it out of the egg at 6:30 and is resting now. Dinner is late and we are starved, but I too remain patient and determined to see this thru. 10 1/2 hours total time in the egg.

    I have done many briskets over the years and each one is a new adventure, but this one certainly had a mind of it's own.
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  • thirdeye
    thirdeye Posts: 7,428
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    it's nice to learn the scientistic terms for this.

    This example DC EGG asked about is rather dramatic, usually the fall is 4 or 5 degrees, but up until now all I really knew is that energy is re-directed to the conversion process and the meat temp drops. Then as the conversion ends, the energy goes back to heating the muscle.
    Happy Trails
    ~thirdeye~

    Barbecue is not rocket surgery
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  • Fidel
    Fidel Posts: 10,172
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    I think the plateau is way too long for a small flat like yours.

    Are you sure your dome thermometer is reasonably correct?
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  • Fidel
    Fidel Posts: 10,172
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    I didn't attack you, I corrected you based on my experience. You refused to believe my experience even though you have relatively little, if any, experience cooking briskets.

    You are the one that said it was impossible, and the rules of physics and thermodynamics wouldn't allow for a drop. If anyone owes any apologies it is you, not your "attackers" as you put it.
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  • TNmike
    TNmike Posts: 643
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    If nothing else this thread sure is entertaining and a little education, for me anyways. Too hot to do much outside here today so this has kept me entertained. If I were to guess I would say that one of the forum regulars has at least 4 ID's on this thread. Keep postn' but I gotta go put the wings on and will catch up later. :) Mike
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  • Unknown
    Unknown
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    Wife just had her eppi rejuiced. Going on 36 hours in labour. This is pretty brutal (much more for her). Oh well, she making out like a champ all things considered.

    Thanks for asking :).
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  • Unknown
    Unknown
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    The plateau is explained by the added energy required to make a physical change in the fats - I don't see how heat can 'choose' to focus on some parts of the brisket to render the fats while letting the other parts of the brisket cool down.

    I've decided to write directly to the guru and stoker guys and ask them. They must have thought about this some at least. Hey, and if I'm wrong i have no problem aplogizing and eating crow. I find the best explanation being 'I have no idea why and I can't explain it but it does' not very satisfying nor convincing.
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  • WessB
    WessB Posts: 6,937
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    Eat crow, eat whatever...when you have a dozen "experienced" eggers..unlike yourself...tell you you're wrong.....take it for what it is...quit whinin like a whooped pup..man up and quit giving newbies wrong advice...if it takes one person offering a somewhat scientific explanation for you to accept reality as truth then you don't belong here...it really scares the hell out of me that you are allowed to reproduce...go find better things to do than disrupt this forum..
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  • WessB
    WessB Posts: 6,937
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    typical..you speak like you have experience...and we all know you dont...
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  • THA
    THA Posts: 198
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    As you said, "added energy to make a physical change in the fat". Now if that change endothermically needs more energy (heat) than is being supplied by the mass around it, it will pull it from the temperature of the surrounding mass (meat) and lower the surrounding mass's temp. Heat is energy and anything above absolute zero degree temp is energy
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  • Little Steven
    Little Steven Posts: 28,817
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    THA,

    Man, you just don't get it do you? He's smarter than everyone. ;)

    Steve

    Steve 

    Caledon, ON

     

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  • Little Steven
    Little Steven Posts: 28,817
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    Wess,

    Be neat if he was dropping the kid eh?


    Steve

    Steve 

    Caledon, ON

     

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  • WessB
    WessB Posts: 6,937
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    Guees he expects the doctor to give him a proven scientific theory to how it happened before he will accept it as reality.....and is really pretty amazing that 2 men can reproduce...LMAO
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