Barbecue Geekery

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MYTH 1:
Collagen conversion, fat rendering, or general protein denaturing causes "the stall."

The frustration of every backyard barbecue: the so-called stall. After an hour or so of cooking, the internal temperature of the meat stalls—sometimes even drops a bit—prompting panic as the dinner hour gets closer and the food is still nowhere near its desired doneness.

Every pitmaster has his or her own theory, usually involving collagen conversion—a reaction in which heat and water unwind collagen molecules into gelatin. Some believe fat rendering is responsible for the stall. General protein denaturing in the meat, too, has taken blame.

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