Does a turkey stall when smoking? The correct answer

Last Updated on: 7th February 2023, 07:41 pm

Stall is a phase of smoking, which usually occurs when the moisture of the meat starts evaporating.

Due to evaporation, the temperature of the meat stops increasing.

But it is most common in brisket.

So it might be confusing for beginners to decide whether a turkey stalls while smoking.

We are going to answer that in this article.

Stall usually occurs in red meat that contains higher moisture, e.g.brisket.

But poultry contains a small amount of moisture, so there is no significant effect of stall on turkey.

Poultry is a type of lean meat .

Lean meat has a lower amount of fat and moisture.

Stall usually occurs when the evaporation results in cooling.

As a result of the low moisture content, there will be no or few minutes of stalling in turkey.

Here is the short summary of what we are going to explain below.

• Turkey will not stall normal. But if you are a beginner, then the turkey might stall due to inexperience.
• You need to probe the turkey effectively to measure its accurate temperature.

Does turkey stall when smoked?

A stall is basically a plateau of temperature while cooking meat with a hard texture and high moisture content.

It is most commonly seen while smoking brisket.

The evaporation of moisture hinders the increase in temperature.

While in the case of Turkey, the conditions are different.

Turkey is a type of poultry.

Poultry is lean meat which contains a small amount of moisture.

This moisture doesn’t have enough effect on the temperature of the brisket.

In addition to having low moisture, turkey is smoked for a shorter time to prevent overcooking.

So it can stall for a maximum of 30 minutes.

There are several factors that determine whether a turkey will hit a stall or not during smoking.

They are discussed below.

Factors that can make a turkey stall

As discussed above, turkey does not stall when smoking because it has less moisture content.

But there are still some factors that can affect the texture of turkey and stall its temperature for some time.

These factors are discussed below.

Low temperature

Smoking is done at low temperatures to cook the meat with indirect heat and enhance its flavor with smoke.

But a very low temperature can result in the turkey stalling during smoking.

It can be really frustrating because it can result in the turkey’s drying out.

The temperature of the turkey needs to be high enough to remove the moisture present in the bird without much effect on the temperature.

If the temperature is too low , then even a little bit of evaporative cooling can push the turkey towards stalling.

You should consider increasing the temperature of the smoker if the turkey stalls during smoking.

Usually, poultry is smoked at around 200–250°F.

However, if the turkey stalls, consider raising the temperature of the smoker to above 300 °F.

The increase in temperature will resist the evaporative cooling and power the stall.

An important point to keep in mind is that turkey won’t stall for a long time because its moisture will evaporate out quickly.

So if you have to increase the temperature, make sure to lower the temperature after the internal temperature of the turkey starts increasing.

The reason is that keeping the temperature higher for a longer time can result in the drying out of the turkey.

Too much moisture

In addition to the low temperature, having too much moisture in the smoker can also result in the turkey stalling.

As you might knowe low temperature, having too much moisture in the smoker can also result in the turkey stalling.

As you might know, a stall is basically a plateau of temperature due to evaporative cooling.

But if the moisture content is higher in the smoker, then the temperature will not increase.

In other words, a higher concentration of humidity can result in a lower temperature.

which further leads to the stall of turkey.

So, while smoking turkey, you need to be really careful about the moisture present inside the smoker.

A normal reason for the increase in moisture is the water pan present inside the smokers.

A water pan is used to maintain the moisture of the smoker, but a lot of beginner backyarders consider it compulsory to use a water pan when smoking.

Using a water pan while smoking turkey can result in increased moisture and stall.

A water pan should be used only in prolonged smoking processes like smoking brisket or pork.

But while smoking turkey, you should consider removing the water pan from the smoker.

Inaccurate thermometer

Thermometers are one of the most important pieces of equipment when it comes to smoking turkeys.

If you are smoking a turkey without one , then it’s like shooting arrows in the dark.

But if the thermometer is inaccurate, then it might be misleading you.

The majority of low-quality smokers have inaccurate built-in thermometers.

So, even if your temperature is increasing, the thermometer will display an inaccurate reading .

So it is better to consider checking your thermometer for accuracy from time to time.

It is one of the most common reasons for assuming turkey at a stall.

An inaccurate thermometer may display the same reading for an extended period of time, leading you to believe that the turkey is stalling.

So before tweaking anything else, make sure to check your thermometer for accuracy.

The best way to check for thermometer accuracy is to insert it into boiling water and check its reading.

If the thermometer is faulty or inaccurate, then you should consider calibrating it or upgrading to a good quality thermometer.

Spritzing

Spritzing meat is a really effective way to avoid the meat drying out.

But if overdone, it can make your turkey stall .

It is one of the most common reasons for stalling in brisket at 180°F (after the usual stall at 160°F).

Spritzing is usually done while smoking brisket to avoid it from drying out during the prolonged smoking process.

But in the case of turkey, the smoking process usually lasts for only a few hours, so spritzing is not really needed.

But some of the pitmasters like to use spritzing to enhance the flavor of the turkey.

But while doing so , they can increase the moisture in the smoker, which results in putting the turkey in a stall phase while smoking.

So a better way to avoid this is to not spritz the turkey at all.

But if turkey starts to dry up or you want to spritz turkey to enhance flavor, then make sure to spritz it just a little bit.

You can also use mopping or injecting as an alternative.

Inaccurate probe insertion

Lastly, inaccurate insertion of the temperature probe can also be the reason for the turkey to stall.

A temperature probe is usually an instrument that is inserted into the turkey to measure the internal temperature of the turkey.

If the probe is inserted into the air pocket or near a bone , then the internal temperature of the turkey won’t increase.

It is basically one of the rarest errors, but there is still a possibility if you are inexperienced with smoking turkey.

To minimize the possibility of this error, you should consider taking out the temperature probe and inserting it in different spots to check if the temperature is increasing or not.

But while doing so , you should avoid poking too much, which can result in the leaking out of meat juices.

Tips to avoid turkey stalls

• First of all, you should consider smoking your turkey at higher temperatures to avoid being affected by evaporative cooling.
  If your turkey is stalling, you should usually smoke it between 250°F and 300°F.
  
• Another tip is to always use an accurate thermometer while smoking anything, let it be turkey or anything else.
  Smoking with an inaccurate or no thermometer means shooting arrows in the dark, which will not produce any significant results.
  
• Before making any changes or final decisions, you should probe your turkey at various points.
  You should avoid inserting your temperature probe near bone or in an air pocket.
  
• Finally, you should consider controlling the moisture in the smoker.
  Preferably, you should remove the water pan and stop spritzing until and unless there is a possibility of drying out the turkey.

Conclusion

A turkey won’t stall while being smoked effectively. It can stall due to user inexperience or a thermometer fault.

You need to be careful about the thermometer you are using because it is your guiding star. If it’s inaccurate, it will take you anywhere.