Smoking Times and Temperatures Chart: 50+ Cuts, Pit Temp to Pull Temp
Pit temperature, smoker time and pull temperature for every cut on Smoke Craft Lab, from brisket and pork butt to salmon and queso, each row linked to its full guide.
This smoking times and temperatures chart takes one row from every cut guide on the site. Each row is the range the published recipes actually land on, and the first column links to the guide that explains why that range is as wide as it is.
I use it to plan a cook, not to run one. When your cut, your pit or your finish doesn’t match the row, the linked guide is where the useful part is.
How to read this meat smoking chart
Pit temp is the chamber temperature at the grate. The dial on the lid can sit 50°F away from it on an offset, which is the whole subject of lid thermometer vs grate probe.
Smoker time is time on the smoker, before any rest. A brisket or a pork butt still wants an hour or more wrapped after that, and how long to rest a brisket covers the window.
Pull temp is the internal temperature at the thickest point. The USDA floor is 145°F plus a 3-minute rest for whole cuts of beef, pork, lamb and fish. Ground meat needs 160°F and poultry 165°F. Anything above the floor in this chart is there for texture, not safety.
Times move with weight, thickness, wind and how often the lid comes up. Cook to the pull temp and treat the clock as a budget.
Beef
The spread here is mostly collagen. Brisket, chuck and plate ribs cook past 200°F and take all day. Steaks and roasts stop near 130°F and take an hour or two.
| Cut | Pit temp | Smoker time | Pull temp |
|---|---|---|---|
| Whole brisket | 225-275°F | 8-18 h (10-20 lb) | 200-205°F, probe-tender |
| Chuck roast | 225-250°F | 5-9 h (2-4 lb) | 200-205°F, probe-tender |
| Poor man’s burnt ends | 225-275°F | 3-5 h with the braise | Probe-tender cubes |
| Beef ribs (back / plate) | 225-275°F | 3-6 h / 6-10 h | 200-210°F / 200-205°F |
| Short ribs (English-cut) | 225-275°F | 6-12 h (flanken strips under 2 h) | 200-205°F |
| Prime rib | 225-250°F | 30-40 min per lb | 118-130°F for medium-rare, lower on heavier roasts |
| Beef tenderloin | 225-250°F | 45 min-2 h, by thickness | 130-135°F (medium-rare) |
| Tri tip | 225-250°F | 1.5-2 h | 130-135°F (115-120°F before a sear) |
| Tomahawk steak | 225-250°F | 45 min-3 h, then a sear | 130-140°F (100-115°F before a sear) |
| London broil | 225-250°F | 1.5-2 h | 130-135°F |
| Flank steak | 225-250°F | 60-90 min | 120-130°F |
| Oxtail | 225-250°F | 5-7 h including a covered braise | Tender off the bone |
| Burgers | 225-250°F | 45-60 min (up to 90 for thick patties) | 160°F |
| Meatloaf | 225-250°F | 3-4 h (2 lb loaf) | 160°F |
| Corned beef | 225-240°F | 6-8 h | 195-202°F |
| Pastrami | 225-250°F | 5-10 h (3-6 unwrapped, 2-4 wrapped) | 200-205°F |
| Jerky | 165-180°F | 3-7 h (up to 10 for thick slices) | Dry, bends and cracks without snapping |
Pork
Shoulder cuts run on the same long clock as brisket, and internal temp for pulled pork explains why 190°F and 205°F both work. The loin side (chops, loin, tenderloin) is lean and done at 145°F, so pushing it further only dries it out.
| Cut | Pit temp | Smoker time | Pull temp |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pork butt | 225-250°F | 8-16 h (6-20 h published) | 195-205°F |
| Picnic shoulder | 225°F | 9-16 h (6-10+ lb) | 200-205°F |
| Ribs | 225-250°F | 3-6 h, by rack | Probe-tender, bends when lifted |
| Country style ribs | 225-250°F | 60-90 min (loin end) / 3 h+ (shoulder end) | 165-175°F / 195-205°F |
| Pork belly | 225-275°F | 4-8 h (4-5 lb) | 190-200°F sliced, 205°F pulled |
| Pork belly burnt ends | 225-250°F | 3-5 h with the sauce stage | Probe-tender cubes |
| Pork loin | 225°F | 1.5-4 h, by weight | 145°F |
| Pork tenderloin | 225-250°F | 1-2 h | 145°F |
| Pork chops | 225-250°F | 45-90 min, by thickness | 145°F |
| Pork steak | 225-250°F | Set by the finish you pick | 175-180°F sliced, 195-203°F pulled |
| Ham (fully cooked) | 225-250°F | 1.5-3.5 h, by weight | 140°F |
| Bacon (cured slab) | 135-225°F | 3-6 h | 140-155°F |
Poultry
Poultry is safe at 165°F everywhere, but dark meat eats better at 175°F or higher. Skin is the other problem. Below about 275°F it stays rubbery, which is why several rows here run hotter than the beef.
| Cut | Pit temp | Smoker time | Pull temp |
|---|---|---|---|
| Whole chicken | 250-275°F | 2.5-3 h (4-5 h at 225°F) | 165°F breast, 175°F+ thigh |
| Spatchcock chicken | 275-300°F | 1.5-2 h | 165°F breast |
| Chicken breast | 225-250°F | 60-90 min | 160-162°F, carryover to 165°F |
| Chicken thighs | 275-300°F | 1-1.5 h | 175-185°F |
| Chicken wings | 225-250°F | 1.5-2 h (45-50 min at 375-400°F) | 175-180°F |
| Chicken drumsticks | 250°F | 2-2.5 h | 175-185°F |
| Chicken leg quarters | 225-250°F | 2.5-3.5 h | 175-185°F in the thigh |
| Whole turkey | 250°F | 4-7.5 h (10-20 lb) | 165°F breast |
| Turkey breast | 225°F | 2.5-5.5 h (3-8 lb, bone-in) | 165°F |
| Turkey legs | 225-250°F | 3-4 h | 175-180°F |
| Cornish hen | 250-275°F | 1.5-2 h | 165°F breast, 175-180°F thigh |
| Duck (whole) | 225-275°F | 3-4 h (4-6 lb) | 165°F thigh |
Fish and seafood
Fish is done at 145°F and gets there fast. How long it spends on the smoker is really a question about the cure and the skin.
| Cut | Pit temp | Smoker time | Pull temp |
|---|---|---|---|
| Salmon (hot-smoked) | 225-250°F | 45 min-1.5 h (3-4 h at 175-180°F) | 140-145°F |
| Trout | 175-225°F | 1-3 h | 145°F |
| Catfish | 250°F uncured / 165°F cured | About 80 min / 4-6 h | 145°F |
Lamb and game
The leg and the shoulder each have a roast finish near 130°F and a pulled finish past 200°F. Those two finishes are hours apart, so decide which one you want before the fire is lit.
| Cut | Pit temp | Smoker time | Pull temp |
|---|---|---|---|
| Leg of lamb | 225-250°F | 3-4 h roast / 6-8 h pulled (5-7 lb) | 130-145°F / 200-205°F |
| Rack of lamb | 225-250°F | 35 min-2 h | 120-145°F |
| Lamb chops | 220-250°F | 25-30 min rib chops, then a sear / 45-60 min loin chops | 128-140°F |
| Venison roast | 225°F | 1-2 h loin or leg / 6-10 h shoulder | 130-140°F / 200-205°F |
Sausage
Fresh links cook to 160°F, or 165°F if they’re made from poultry. Kielbasa and bologna are usually sold already cooked, so the smoker is only adding smoke and a crust.
| Cut | Pit temp | Smoker time | Pull temp |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fresh sausage | 225-250°F | 1.5-2.5 h (thin links 45-75 min) | 160°F, 165°F for poultry |
| Bratwurst | 225-250°F | 1.5-2.5 h | 160°F |
| Hot dogs (store-bought) | 225-250°F | 45-60 min | None, already cooked |
| Kielbasa (store-bought) | 225-250°F | 45 min-3 h | About 165°F to serve |
| Bologna (whole chub) | 225-250°F | 2-4 h | None, it’s already cooked |
Sides and cheese
Nothing in the pan is raw. The time limit comes from the sauce, which breaks if it sits too long.
| Dish | Pit temp | Smoker time | Done when |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baked beans | 225-250°F | 1-3 h | Thick and glossy, not pooling |
| Mac and cheese | 225-250°F | 1-2 h | Hot through, before the sauce splits |
| Queso | 225-250°F | 90 min-2 h, stirred | Melted and smooth |
Why two recipes give the same cut different times
The stall is the usual suspect. A big cut can sit between 150°F and 170°F for hours while moisture evaporates off its surface, and whether the cook wraps changes the total by hours. Brisket stall and when to wrap a brisket go through it.
Then there are names that cover several cuts. Short ribs, country style ribs and lamb chops each describe more than one piece of meat, and the published times belong to different pieces.
The last one is where the recipe finishes. Some stop the clock at a sear or a braise, others run the whole cook on the smoker. The 3-2-1 method is the best-known case of a braise built into the timing.
Common questions
Is it better to smoke at 200°F or 225°F?
225°F, for most cooks. At 200°F a large cut sits in the stall longer and the cook stretches by hours without getting any more tender, and nearly every row above assumes 225-250°F. Going lower makes sense for jerky, fish and cheese, where you want drying or gentle smoke rather than rendered fat.
What meat can I smoke in 4 hours or less?
Chicken pieces, a whole chicken at 250-275°F, pork tenderloin and chops, tri tip, beef tenderloin, burgers, fresh sausage, salmon, trout, lamb chops and a rack of lamb all fit. So do queso and mac and cheese. Turkey legs and a fully cooked ham land right around the four-hour mark.
What is the 4-hour rule for smoking meat?
It’s a pitmaster rule of thumb, not a USDA rule: the meat should climb from 40°F to 140°F within about four hours. It matters most for ground, stuffed or injected meat, where bacteria from the surface end up inside. A whole muscle on a 225°F smoker clears it without trying.
The chart grows as new cut guides go up. If the cut you’re smoking isn’t here yet, tell me and it moves up the list.