Put a ~12 lb (after trimming ) prime brisket on last night at 9pm. Cooking between 250-275 on an offset smoker. I have a probe in the meat (I know I know) and recorded the meat temp every hour starting at midnight. Below is the data.

12am - 135
1am - 144
2 am - 147
3 am - 149
4 am - 151
5 am - 157 (wrapped in butcher paper)
6 am - 162
7am - 165
8 am - 171
9 am - 173
10 am - 174
11 am - 176

Is this a typical progression? I think I might have wrapped a little early. I guess a 15 hour cook is not unusual.

This is only my 2nd brisket, so I'm still trying to get a handle on everything.

Yep. Hit the stall around 8. Once you bust the 175-180 mark you will see the temps climb quickly again.

Yep. Pretty typical. Good rule of thumb is at 250 about an 1.5 hours per lb (at 275 it's more like 1.25 hours)

And gillom is correct that once it gets to 180 it'll start rising pretty quickly again.

15 hours in, 180 degrees. This is rough...

How does it take a probe? Resistance? Like butter?

What's the internal temp that you're looking for? I'm going to be cooking my first brisket in early June so I'm trying to study up as much as possible. Thanks and Gig' Em.

I go by feel more than temp but 195-200 is oft mentioned.

I haven't checked yet. I was waiting until it hit 195.

It should feel "flimsy" right?

Franklin likes 203 but says anywhere from 195-210....it's different for all his cooks but he says he sees 203 appear more than any other temp....his is done by feel as well

I would recommend Franklin's book "meat smoking manifesto"....he covers everything possible that you could imagine about smoking meat. Plus he includes his story and how he got to where he is now.....pretty good read.

Talks about different types of smokers, how to put meat in, which way to position it, types of wood, how to slice, how to serve, how to select from butcher.....etc

I have the book. It's a good read. I didn't realize the stall sucks this bad. Temp is 183 now...

I bought it as well. Unfortunately, I haven't had a chance to get into it yet. I coach and we are in season right now and the STAAR test is coming up in two weeks so I've had a lot on my plate. Plan to crack it open when things settle a bit! Hopefully it answers most of my questions!

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I have the book. It's a good read. I didn't realize the stall sucks this bad. Temp is 183 now...

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You aren't drinking enough. Up the alcohol intake and you'll time travel right through the stall.

I am...been up since 5am Thursday.

This effer has been on 18 hours. It feels like a nice boob but temp is only reading 185

Are you sure your pit and meat probes are working correctly?

I have stuck it with another probe, non digital and get close to the same reading.

ought to be ready for game time

Can it seriously take 20 hours for a 12 lb brisket?!?

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This effer has been on 18 hours. It feels like a nice boob but temp is only reading 185

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Every brisket is different. Maybe ur smoker temp is off...have u checked that? Is the thermometer in the dome or by the grill surface?

It could take that long, but I agree with above. If you haven't already, you need to check temp on the grate. It's possible that you are cooking lower than you think.

How much fat did you leave on it?

Pulled it off after 19 hours. The point was very nice and tender. The flat was not as tender as I would've like. I followed Franklins method of trimming.

Like others said, I have to wonder if your grate temp is much cooler than where ever your pit probe is. A tough flat almost always means undercooked.

^this

I'm going to look into it. I should've left it on. Internal temp of the meat only got to 190. It's eatable but I wanted it to withstand the "pulltest" and it was not quite there.

My gut said leave it on for another hour or 2 but I had 7 people waiting and waiting. Peer pressure got me.

Rule 1

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Like others said, I have to wonder if your grate temp is much cooler than where ever your pit probe is. A tough flat almost always means undercooked.

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I put thermometerson my grates on either side of my brisket. Generally speaKing, there is about a 25-30 degree delta between the gauges in the lid of my smoker and the grate, with the grate being cooler.

I keep my hood gauges around 275 so that I k,ow my grate them is in the general range of 250.

That's kind of what I'm thinking here...if the lid was 225, the grate could have been 200 which would never get the brisket done.

I was using the maverick thermometer with the grate gauge.

How long did it rest before cutting and serving?

45 minutes. I had people breathing down my neck. Next time I'm going to start at 2pm and have people start showing up around noon the next day. Will give me plenty of time and I will not feel the pressure to hurry it up.