The stall. It’s that point in barbecue when the temperature of the brisket you’re smoking stops rising. Sometimes, it will even drop a bit. There’s nothing mystical about it. The liquid, mostly water, that collects in the surface of the brisket as it smokes is to blame. Like the brisket itself, the water is exposed to the temperature(s) inside the smoker. It does what water does and evaporates. This evaporative cooling is what causes the stall.
How long does the stall last? The answer to that is much like the answer to “how long does it take to smoke a brisket?” Cooking a brisket takes as long as it takes, and the stall last as long as it lasts. That’s where I am now, at about 0800. What do you do during the stall? You wait. Remember, smoking a brisket is an exercise in patience.
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retiredmustang 
That, and 10 hours of your time… sigh