Thoughts on "The Stall"?

bicktrav

Made a brisket yesterday.  I've done it many times and it always turns out pretty incredible.  In the past, I've encountered stalls, but nothing like what happened yesterday.  It climbed to 151 internal in about 2 1/2 hours, then it didn't budge.  Stayed at 151 for nearly 5 hours.  It was insane.  But after that truly obscene stall, out came the best brisket I've ever made.  It so juicy and tender, thick with gelatin and perfectly rendered fat.  I've noticed a correlation between heavy stalls and eventual taste.  The longer the stall, the better the brisket comes out.  Has anyone else noticed that?  Could be because the stall is caused by the conversion of collagen to gelatin, and a longer conversion process would imply more conversion, i.e. a more tender product. 

Curious to get everyone's thoughts on this.  Have you all noticed a correlation, good or bad, between the stall and the eventual outcome of the brisket? 

MaskedMarvel

Some say it's the cooling effect of evaporation off the meat... Others say it's the chemical transformation of the fat and collegen breaking down... Some say it's both! Regardless, more marbeling means more fat. More fat is more to break down into more flavor. A good stall or two is always welcome!

bicktrav

Yeah, I'm of the opinion that it's both: collagen breaks down, which drives moisture to the exterior of the meat, thereby cooling it.  That being the case, it seems to make sense that hitting a crazy stall means you're going to end up with a really succulent piece of meat.  That's certainly what happened yesterday.

lousubcap

Check out the following link about the stall-

http://amazingribs.com/tips_and_technique/the_stall.html The rest of his site has a wealth of information, as well.

MaskedMarvel

I'm both, too. The key is not to boost the temp to drive through the stall. Brisket is the hardest cook to have come out just right, I think because of this stall "x-factor." Makes it hard to plan for dinner. That's why the FTC is so perfect. You can hold a piece of meat, when you do your FTC right, for six plus hours and have it perfect. Takes a lot of trouble out of brisket cooking for me, and ends up being a fairly straightforward cook, as a result.

thailandjohn

I usually have a long stall on both Brisket and Butts. I always cook at a very low grid them (215) for hours before I raise the temp near the end to firm up the bark. I am not a fan of fast turbo cooking. My thought on turbo cooking is, you can cook fast and if you add lots of sauce when finished, it will be done but the main flavor is the sauce. I like the moist smokey meat to be the flavor

ericp

If the stall is so helpfull why do so many people wrap at 150 or so. I personally try not to wrap at all but if I do its always after the stall

thailandjohn

Wrapping will speed up the cook but it also steams the meat, making the bark moist. For years I have been wrapping my finished Briskers in butcher paper and Butts in foil. The butcher paper is not as tight and lets steam escape. The Butts in foil will retain all the steam and moister and that gets mixed in with the meat when pulled. After I slice the flat on the Brisket, I cut up the point and lay on top of the slices so moister from the point will drip through the flat slices making even a drier flat moist

HDumptyEsq

Where's Seneca the Younger when you need him?

SenecaTheYounger

The Stall

johnmitchell

I have just come out of the stall doing a Butt all day...Damn it a good feeling, I think I will have another adult beverage.. L-)