The Brisket Stall Explained
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If you have ever smoked a brisket, you have probably experienced this moment.
The temperature climbs steadily for hours. Then suddenly it stops. It sits there. It refuses to move.
That moment is called the brisket stall, and it is completely normal.
This article explains why the stall happens, what it means, and how to decide what to do next. It fits into The Ultimate Guide to Smoking Brisket From Selection to Slicing and is meant to calm you down, not give you something new to worry about.
What the brisket stall is
The brisket stall is a period during the cook when the internal temperature stops rising or rises extremely slowly.
It typically happens somewhere between 150 and 170 degrees, but the exact number is not important.
What matters is that the meat has not stopped cooking. It has entered a different phase.
Why the stall happens
The stall is caused by evaporation.
As brisket cooks, moisture moves to the surface and evaporates. Evaporation cools the meat, much like sweat cools your skin.
At a certain point:
- Heat entering the meat
- Heat leaving through evaporation
reach a balance.
When those forces match, internal temperature appears to stop rising.
This does not mean the brisket is stuck. It means energy is being used for moisture evaporation instead of raising temperature.
What is happening inside the meat during the stall
Even though the thermometer is not moving, important changes are happening.
During the stall:
- Collagen continues breaking down
- Fat continues rendering
- Muscle fibers relax
This is productive time, not wasted time.
How long the stall lasts
The stall can last:
- One hour
- Several hours
- Longer on very large briskets
Cook temperature, humidity, airflow, and brisket size all affect stall length.
This is why cook times are estimates, not guarantees.
Why the stall causes panic
The stall messes with expectations.
People expect steady progress. When that stops, they assume something is wrong and start making aggressive changes.
Common reactions include:
- Cranking up the heat
- Spritzing constantly
- Opening the smoker too often
- Wrapping too early
These reactions usually create more problems than they solve.
Waiting out the stall
One option is patience.
By holding steady temperature and leaving the brisket unwrapped, you allow:
- Bark to continue developing
- Moisture to evaporate naturally
- Flavor to deepen
This approach takes longer but produces firmer bark.
Powering through the stall by wrapping
Wrapping reduces evaporation.
When you wrap brisket, moisture can no longer escape the surface, so cooling stops and temperature begins rising again.
Wrapping:
- Shortens the stall
- Speeds up the cook
- Softens bark slightly
Whether to wrap depends on your goals, timeline, and bark preference.
This choice is covered in detail in Brisket Wrapping Foil vs Butcher Paper.
Increasing temperature during the stall
A small temperature increase can help push through the stall without wrapping.
Raising smoker temperature slightly:
- Increases energy input
- Helps overcome evaporative cooling
This should be a controlled adjustment, not a drastic jump.
For guidance on ranges, see Best Temperature for Smoking Brisket.
What not to do during the stall
Avoid these mistakes:
- Chasing internal temperature
- Making large heat changes
- Panicking
- Assuming the brisket is ruined
The stall is not a failure point. It is a normal phase.
The stall does not decide when brisket is done
The stall does not determine doneness.
A brisket is done when it is tender, not when it exits the stall or hits a specific temperature.
Learning to recognize doneness is covered in How to Tell When a Brisket Is Done.
Understanding the stall changes everything
Once you understand why the stall happens, it stops being scary.
You stop fighting the cook and start managing it.
The brisket stall is not something to defeat. It is something to work with.
When you are ready to move forward, the next step is learning How to Tell When a Brisket Is Done so you know exactly when to pull it off the smoker.
Related Articles
- Best Temperature for Smoking Brisket
- How to Smoke a Brisket Step by Step
- Brisket Wrapping Foil vs Butcher Paper
- How to Tell When a Brisket Is Done
