Brisket temp drop

[ibanez122]

Hey all!  Been a while since Ive posted.. things have been busy since I did my first smoke (though I did get to do ribs a few weeks ago that turned out awesome!).

Have a brisket going in the smoker right now.  Went in at around 645 and hit the plateau and am currently in it as we speak.  I was sitting at 185.2/3/4 for awhile then went and checked it and it had dropped to 184.1.  Are temp drops normal with this? I didn't experience this with the pork shoulder I did for my first smoke, so I'm not 100 percent sure on this.  Gut says to keep it at 225 and let it run. 

 

[barelfly]

Keep it in and let it go. I believe this is part of the stall. Evaporative cooling in a way with the temps. It will punch through and be a great meal today!

 

[Pork Belly]

Keep it going eventually it will get there.

I prefer to put my butts and briskets in late afternoon and evening. I let them smoke all night and the early part of the day. This avoids everyone staring at the smoker waiting on a meal. Good luck with it.

 

[ibanez122]

Thanks for the responses everyone.  About an hour and half after my initial post the temp finally crept back up and was back in business.  Its a little frustrating to see it happening especially since I thought that something was wrong!

I think it turned out pretty good - the wife and kid loved it.  I didnt trim really any fat on it. Tried to make it a little more uniform and got rid of some of the harder pieces of fat on it.  The butcher I got it from refers to it as a 'first cut' which I assume is a flat.  I found a few areas that were dry, but other than that I was impressed with it. 

What route can I take to make it moist throughout? Injections? wrapping with butcher paper after a certain temperature?  I did the toothpick test and it went in smooth with no resistance and did the 2 hour rest.  Give me your best guys and gals!