I threw a pork butt on the smoke this AM for a 12 hr smoke including “the stall”. What happens during the stall?
Why does temp climb quickly to 140-ish, slow down until 165 or so, and then speed up again? I’ve only seen it with pork and beef, not with fish or poultry..does it happen with other red meat (ie venison, bison, etc.)? It makes sense for the temperature rate of change to slow down over time as the delta between internal and external temp narrows, but I’m struggling to understand the fast / slow / faster pattern.
In: Biology
Here’s an excerpt from a good article on the topic:
Large chunks of meat, when cooked at low temps, hit a point at about 150°F when the interior temp stops rising. For hours. The exact temp depends on many variables, especially airflow through the cooker. Electric smokers have no combustion, so there is little airflow, and the stall is minimal. The stall is longer in drafty wood smokers.
This “stall” is caused by moisture evaporating from the surface and cooling the meat just like sweat cools you on a hot day. It has nothing to do with fat or collagen. If you wrap the meat in foil, the humidity in the foil is close to 100%, but there is no evaporative cooling, so this method, called the Texas Crutch allows you to power through the stall.
https://amazingribs.com/more-technique-and-science/more-cooking-science/understanding-and-beating-barbecue-stall/
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