BBQ & Smoke

The Stall

Also: the plateau, BBQ stall, the wall, evaporative stall, temperature plateau

The frustrating halt in internal meat temperature — typically at 65–75°C (150–165°F) — during long low-and-slow cooks, caused entirely by evaporative cooling that can persist for several hours.

American English, barbecue vernacular; widely discussed in competition BBQ circuits from the 1990s onward; the evaporative-cooling explanation was rigorously documented by food scientists including Blonder and Goldwyn in the 2010s.

Definition

The stall is a phenomenon unique to large, collagen-rich cuts cooked low and slow — most famously brisket and pork shoulder — in which the internal temperature of the meat stops rising and may even drop slightly for an extended period, sometimes two to six hours, despite steady cooker temperature. The mechanism is evaporative cooling: as the surface of the meat heats, moisture migrates from the interior toward the drier exterior and evaporates, carrying heat energy away from the meat surface much like sweat cools a runner. At cooker temperatures typical of barbecue (110–135°C / 225–275°F), the rate of evaporative heat loss can precisely balance the rate of heat input from the cooker, producing a temperature plateau. The stall typically begins when internal temperature reaches approximately 65–75°C (150–165°F) and can persist until surface moisture is substantially depleted or the collagen conversion to gelatin absorbs enough energy to shift the thermal balance. Understanding the stall matters for two practical reasons: first, inexperienced cooks often panic and raise cooker temperature (which can produce a tougher result or destroy bark development); second, it informs timing — a 10-hour brisket cook may have a 3-hour stall embedded in it. The stall is accelerated by wrapping (the Texas Crutch) in foil or butcher paper, which traps steam and raises the humid cooking environment around the meat, eliminating evaporative loss. The trade-off of foiling is reduced or softened bark. Some pitmasters wait until the stall ends naturally, preferring the bark integrity.

In use

“The brisket had been holding at 160°F for nearly four hours — the stall was in full effect — so she wrapped it in butcher paper and put it back on the smoker to power through.”

Related terms

Texas CrutchBarkCollagenEvaporative coolingLow and slow Probe tenderInternal temperature

References

1.Meathead: The Science of Great Barbecue and Grilling — Meathead Goldwyn (2016)
2.Franklin Barbecue: A Meat-Smoking Manifesto — Aaron Franklin & Jordan Mackay (2015)
3.'The Stall' — Greg Blonder, AmazingRibs.com (peer-reviewed evaporative cooling study, 2012)
4.On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen — Harold McGee (2004)

Confidence: high

Notes

Why some cooks never see a stall

Humid smokers (offset smokers with water pans, ceramic kamados, or any enclosed setup that retains steam) tend to suppress the stall or shorten it because the ambient humidity reduces the evaporative differential. Cooks using water pans may never observe a multi-hour plateau. Conversely, dry-heat cookers like offset stick burners with high airflow produce the longest and most pronounced stalls.

Collagen conversion during the stall

Some food scientists note that the conversion of collagen to gelatin — an endothermic process that absorbs energy — also contributes to the stall, particularly in the 65–80°C range where collagen dissolution accelerates. This is a secondary effect layered on top of evaporative cooling, not a replacement explanation.

Timing for competition cooks

Competition pitmasters often wrap early (at 66°C / 150°F) specifically to skip the stall and achieve a predictable finish time for judging windows. Backyard cooks with more schedule flexibility often let the stall run to preserve bark and avoid the steamed texture that foiling can introduce.