That time my brisket stall lasted 6 hours and nearly ruined dinner

Last Saturday I fired up my offset smoker for a 14-pound packer brisket at 6 AM, thinking I'd have it rested by 6 PM. The stall hit at 160 degrees and just sat there for 6 hours, barely moving, while the family started texting asking when food would be ready. Anyone else ever have a stall that felt like it would never break and had to improvise a late-night meal?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_anthony7d ago

Man I felt that pain just reading this. Had a 16 pounder stall for almost 5 hours once and my wife was giving me the death stare while the kids were asking if we could just order pizza. Ended up wrapping it in butcher paper with some tallow and cranking the pit temp to 275 just to finally push through it.

john_fisher7d ago

Oh man tell me about it! That death stare is no joke, I've been on the receiving end of that more times than I care to count. Actually had a similar thing happen with a pork shoulder last summer, stalled for what felt like forever and my neighbor came over to borrow my lawnmower and ended up staying to watch the thermometer with me like it was the Super Bowl. We both just stood there staring at 170 degrees for two hours while his wife texted him asking if he was coming back. Cranking it to 275 is the move though, sometimes you just gotta push through and save the family peace.