Smoke Time & Temp Guide
The two questions every long cook starts with: how long will this take, and what temperature is it done at? Pick the meat, enter the weight and your set temperature, and this guide gives you an estimated cook-time range, the safe target internal temperature to cook to, how long to rest it, and the stall to expect. The honest caveat up front: times vary a lot — wind, weather, the cut and how often you open the lid all move the number. Cook to the probed internal temp, never to the clock.
Your cook
- Estimated cook time: —
- Cook to internal temp: —
- Then rest: —
- The stall: —
Enter a weight above and hit Estimate the cook to see a time range and the safe target temp.
How this is worked out
These are plain-English rules of thumb for low-and-slow on a pellet grill, not a measurement of your specific grill or cut. Use the range to plan your day and your rest window — then cook to the probed internal temperature, because that is the only number that decides doneness.
- Time: estimated from typical hours-per-pound figures at your set temperature (lower temps run longer). Big cuts like brisket and pork shoulder are timed by weight; ribs and whole poultry are timed by typical ranges, not strictly by the pound.
- Target internal temperature: stated per USDA safe-temperature guidance. Poultry is safe at 165°F. Whole muscle pork is safe at 145°F (plus a rest), though pulled pork is taken much higher — to about 203°F — so the connective tissue breaks down. Brisket is likewise taken to the tender zone (~203°F), well above the food-safety minimum.
- Rest: resting lets juices redistribute. Big cuts benefit from a longer rest; poultry needs only a short one.
- The stall: on big cuts the internal temp plateaus for a stretch (often around 150–170°F) as surface moisture evaporates. It is normal — wait it out or wrap to push through. Always build the stall into your timing.
Doneness is decided by internal temperature, not by time and not by how it looks. Cook all meats to a safe internal temperature verified with a probe thermometer, following USDA safe-temperature guidance. When in doubt, probe it.