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The Stall

What is happening

On a long cook, a brisket or pork butt warms steadily and then seems to freeze in place. The thermometer may read the same for one, two, or even several hours. The leading explanation is evaporative cooling: as the meat heats, moisture comes to the surface and evaporates, and evaporation pulls heat away, the same way sweat cools your skin. When the energy coming in roughly matches the energy carried away by evaporation, the temperature plateaus. Once enough surface moisture is gone, the temperature climbs again.

When it happens

The stall commonly shows up somewhere in the middle range of a cook on large, fatty cuts like brisket, pork butt and pork shoulder. The exact temperature and length vary with cut, humidity, airflow and pit temperature. Smaller cuts like ribs or chicken may stall briefly or not noticeably at all.

Is it a safety problem?

A stall usually happens after the meat has already passed through the lowest temperatures, but you still need to keep the pit hot. USDA FSIS advises keeping the smoker between 225 and 300°F and cooking to a safe minimum internal temperature, checked with a food thermometer; see the safe minimum internal temperature chart. Do not pull meat during a stall to meet a schedule. If the pit itself has dropped too low, fix the fire.

Three ways to handle it

1. Wait. Keep the pit steady and let the stall run its course. You keep a firmer, darker bark. Plan extra time.
2. Wrap (the "Texas crutch"). Wrap the meat tightly in foil or butcher paper. Foil traps nearly all moisture, so the stall shortens dramatically but bark softens. Butcher paper lets some moisture escape, a middle ground for bark. Return to the smoker and continue cooking to your target.
3. Raise the pit temperature. Bumping from 225 to 250 or 275°F adds energy and can shorten the stall. Stay within USDA FSIS's 225 to 300°F range.

When to wrap

Many cooks wrap once the bark has set (it does not smear when touched) and colour looks right, which often lines up with the stall. Wrapping too early can leave a pale, soft exterior.

Planning for the stall

Build the stall into your timeline from the start rather than reacting to it. Use a generous uncertainty range in the smoking time calculator and a big buffer in the serve-time planner. An early finish rests well in a cooler; see rest and hold.

Worked example

Figures below are illustrative examples (2026-10-29), not quotes or guarantees.

Assumptions: a 9 lb pork butt at 250°F. Internal temperature climbs steadily for 5 hours, then holds nearly flat for about 3 hours. The cook decides to wrap in butcher paper at hour 7 after the bark sets. Temperature starts climbing again within about an hour and the butt is probe-tender at hour 11. Without wrapping, the same cook might have taken a couple of hours longer. These timings are invented to illustrate the pattern.

Myths

• "The meat is broken." No, the stall is normal physics.
• "Turn the heat way up." A moderate increase is fine; a huge spike can dry the outside.
• "Foil ruins brisket." It softens bark but many cooks use it successfully.
• "Spritzing causes the stall." Spritzing adds surface moisture and may lengthen it a little, but stalls happen without it.

Checking your thermometer

A stall that never ends may be a thermometer problem. Check your probe in ice water (should read 32°F) and boiling water (about 212°F at sea level, lower at altitude). See the smoker thermometer guide.

Stall behaviour by cut

Brisket: the most famous staller. The flat may stall longer than the point. Pork butt and shoulder: stall reliably; bone-in pieces may stall longer. Beef ribs: stall like a small brisket. Pork ribs: thin, so stalls are short. Poultry: usually cooked hotter, so stalls are minor. Pork loin: cooked to a lower final temperature, so it often finishes before a noticeable stall.

Humidity and water pans

A water pan raises humidity in the cooking chamber, which reduces evaporation from the meat's surface. Some cooks believe this shortens the stall; others find it lengthens the cook because water absorbs heat. Results vary by smoker. Try it both ways and log the difference.

Keeping calm through a stall

Resist opening the lid to check. Every opening releases heat and can lengthen the plateau. Trust a leave-in probe and look at the trend over half an hour rather than every minute. If the pit is steady and the probe is accurate, the stall will end.

Logging for next time

Record when the stall started, how long it lasted, what you did and the outside conditions. Over several cooks you will see patterns for your smoker and your favourite cuts, and your planning rate will improve.

After the stall

Once the stall ends, temperature can climb quickly. Watch probe alarms for when tenderness checks should start.

Planning buffer

Add at least one to two extra hours to any large-cut plan to absorb a long stall.

Quick checklist

Expect it, log it, decide early whether you will wrap, keep the pit steady, keep the lid closed, and trust the probe trend over the clock.

FAQ

How long does the stall last?

From under an hour to several hours.

Should I wrap in foil or paper?

Foil is faster; paper keeps more bark.

Does every cut stall?

Large, fatty cuts stall most noticeably.

Can I avoid it?

Wrapping or a hotter pit shortens it; you cannot fully avoid it unwrapped.

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