The stall may start between 150-170°F (65-76°C) and really could last for hours (up to 7h !).
The start point and also the duration depend on the circumstances:
- Size of the meat
- Moisture of the meat and ambient temperature (Grill/smoker chamber).
- Surface texture of the meat
- The cooker (charcoal, gas, pellets, .. airflow and so on)
- Water pan (e.g. Weber Smokey Mountain) –> The smoke penetration and the bark are benefiting from a moist air but on the downside it benefits the stall.
- and many more
What is the BBQ stall?
The plateau or stall phase is simply caused by evaporating moisture of the meat.
This has the same cooling effect as sweating in the sun.
It’s the evaporating chill cooling the meat.
Four methods to overcome the stall:
- Rising the ambient heat (keyword Hot&Fast) (sometimes in combiantion with one of the following points)
- Using the Texas crutch (wrapping in aluminum foil)
- Wrapping in pink butcher paper (My personal preferred method)
- Waiting until the stall is over 🙂