No Stall At All?

[RoadHazard]

Just smoked my first brisket and it didn't stall at all. Contrary to all the warnings I'd read, the meat's internal temperature went smoothly from 45-degree fridge temp all the way up to about 200 degrees when I took it off the heat. There was no flat spot, no plateau, no nothing.

Should I be worried?

This was a 15-lb. packer cut in an offset smoker. Weber iGrill meat probe stuck into the thickest middle of the point. Total smoking time was about ten hours, give or take. Ambient temp in the smoker was in the 250-275 range. Any hints, comments, or suggestions?

Meat was great, by the way. :-)

[Troutman]

As I keep saying, no two briskets ever seem to cook the same. Count your blessing, the next one may frustrate the heck out of you !!

[grantgallagher]

I havent cooked a ton of briskets but i have found the higher the grade the less of a stall you seem to get. But as Troutman states above...they are all their own fickle mistresses.

[RonB]

What Troutman said. But the point usually cooks faster than the flat, so you might want to put your probe in the flat. Points normally have more intramuscular fat, so they can weather a higher temp than the flat.But since you were happy with the results, who am I to tell you different...

[mountainsmoker]

Cooking at 275 will get you a shorter or no stall depending on the quality of the brisket. It also does not affect the quality of the finished meat and is now considered the standard cooking temp by most championship teams. Some are cooking at 300-350.

Some here will insist that you have to cook at 225 to be lo and slow. You don't and it has been proven that you can get just as good a product at higher heat. This also lets you blow through the stall.

[Huskee]

I've stalled on a 300 cook, ya just never know. But you're right, cooking higher is becoming more the norm and depending how you like your bark, or when you wrap, or what you wrap with, and your cook temp, you have a zillion proven options now and they're all super tasty on your plate!

[Huskee]

No worries at all, although when you expect a stall and it doesn't happen it's the same as not knowing about the stall and getting a stall. I've had 1 or 2 in my brisket cooking experiences that didn't stall (and that was cooking at 250ish). Also had a few who's stall was twice as long as normal. Ya just never know from one to the next.

[Jerod Broussard]

Air flow baby!!!

Rotisserie-Convection smokers rock for that very reason!!

[hoovarmin]

Do you live near area 51? Just kidding - the big question is "how did it turn out?"

[Jerod Broussard]

On Action 7 news tonight, hoards of vehicles with BBQ gear have ascended on Area 51......

[RoadHazard]

Cool. Thanks, everyone.

As you've all said, the only real test is how the meat turned out, and I was happy with the result. Still... it's nice to know I didn't screw something up along the way.

[Huskee]

I love your avatar

[Mr. Bones]

Yup, it happens, from time to time...
"One never knows, now, do one???"

Above quote is one my Da usedta often use, from his Master Sgt in WWII, Jesus Moses Haddad