Heat distribution?

[boisblancboy]

Alright guys I just smoked a 3.5 lb beef brisket. It turned out great but have a question about the heat. I smoked it a temp of 250F and at about the 8 hour mark the internal temp of the meat was about 143 and not climbing. I ended up bringing it in and finishing it in the oven, also set at 250F, because I ran out of propane. Now as soon as I put it in the oven the internal temp started to climb pretty quick. So to my question.

Does the way the heat is dristributed make a difference in cooking times? Cause I always have the meat directly on the rack in the smoker and then I place a drip pan on the rack below it. Would that drip pan be causing the heat to go around the meat causing it to cook slower? It just seemed odd that as soon as Iput the brisket into the oven it started climbing in temp.

 

[timberjet]

Nope, that is a large muscle meat that always has a stall in the cooking process. You just hit the end of your stall. I have had Butts and Briskets stall for hours and hours. I don't think it has anything to do with the drip pan. I always use one.

 

[boisblancboy]

Ok. After I brought it in at 143 it only took at most 2 hours to get it to 195.

 

[timberjet]

It happens. 

 

[timberjet]

I bet it will be totally different next time though. Your stall will probably be more along the lines of 165 or something. I have had the super stall at 135 before too. You just never know and every piece of meat is different.

 

[bmaddox]

As timberjet said, it was probably stalled. I like to place one of my Maverick probes on the rack next to what I am smoking to check the temp to make sure it is correct. Your smoker could have been giving you a false reading and was running lower than the setting (or at least the temp directly surrounding the meat was lower).