Brisket stall had me questioning my whole setup for 6 hours

I threw on a 15 pound prime packer at 6 AM thinking I'd have it ready for dinner. By noon the internal temp was stuck at 156 and I was messing with vents, adding more wood, even checked my probe with boiling water. Turned out my firebox was getting too much oxygen and creating a weird heat gradient that kept the flat undercooked. Who else has chased a stall only to find out it was a smoker issue not the meat?

3 comments

3 Comments

beth_park13d ago

Nah, I mean the stall is def part of it but not an excuse for bad airflow.

bailey.jennifer13d ago

Actually that stall is just part of the process and your meat would've come out fine regardless.

the_miles13d ago

... and honestly I've sat through enough stalled briskets to know that "just part of the process" doesn't mean you can't mess it up. I mean sure, the stall is normal, but if your temp gauge is off or you open the lid too many times, that stall can turn into a dry, tough piece of meat real quick. It's not like there's a magic number where everything just works out. People act like you can walk away and it'll be fine, but I've seen plenty of folks ruin a good brisket by assuming the stall is no big deal.