The Brisket Stall, And Why You Should Wrap
Around 165F, a smoking brisket can plateau for three or four hours. The cause is evaporative cooling: surface moisture is wicked away as quickly as the fire can add heat. Newcomers panic and crank up their pits, but the meat still will not budge.
The fix is wrapping. Butcher paper or foil traps moisture against the meat, eliminates the cooling effect, and lets the internal temperature climb steadily through the stall. Paper preserves more bark; foil cooks faster but softens the crust.
Wrap when the bark is set and the color is deep mahogany, usually around 165F. Add a swipe of beef tallow or a splash of stock for moisture, then keep going until the probe slides in like a hot knife through butter, somewhere around 203F internal.