Smoking times, one page
Hours per pound unless a row says otherwise, at the temperatures these figures are published for. Ribs are cooked to time rather than weight, so their numbers are totals.
Print this and put it where you cook. The site navigation drops away on paper.
Low and slow
Hours per pound, except ribs, which are total hours for a rack.
| Cut | 225°F | 250°F | 275°F | Pull at | Rest | USDA min |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beef brisket (packer) · stalls | 1.5–2 | 1.25–1.5 | 1–1.25 | 195–205°F | 1h–4h | 145°F |
| Pork shoulder / Boston butt · stalls | 1.5–2 | 1.25–1.5 | 1–1.25 | 195–205°F | 30m–2h | 145°F |
| Pork spare ribs | 5–6h | 4–5h | 3.5–4.5h | 195–203°F | 9m–30m | 145°F |
| Baby back ribs | 4–5h | 3.5–4.5h | 3–4h | 195–203°F | 9m–30m | 145°F |
| Beef short ribs · stalls | 1.5–2 | 1.25–1.75 | 1–1.5 | 200–210°F | 15m–1h | 145°F |
| Pork loin | 0.6–0.8 | 0.5–0.7 | 0.4–0.6 | 145–150°F | 9m–21m | 145°F |
Poultry
Charted hotter on purpose: below about 275°F the skin does not render and turns rubbery.
| Cut | 275°F | 300°F | 325°F | Pull at | Rest | USDA min |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whole chicken | 0.65–0.85 | 0.5–0.7 | 0.4–0.6 | 165–175°F | 9m–21m | 165°F |
| Whole turkey | 0.5–0.65 | 0.4–0.55 | 0.35–0.5 | 165–175°F | 21m–45m | 165°F |
Pellets, per hour
Pellet grills only. Offset and charcoal consumption depends on firebox, wood and weather, and any figure here would be a guess.
| Smoker temp | Pellets per hour |
|---|---|
| 225°F | 0.75–1.25 lb |
| 250°F | 1–1.5 lb |
| 275°F | 1.25–1.75 lb |
| 325°F | 1.75–2.5 lb |
Get the chart, and the occasional useful thing
One email when we publish something worth your time. No sequence, no drip, no "quick question" follow-ups.
We will send one email asking you to confirm. Nothing happens until you click the link in it, and every email after that has an unsubscribe link. Privacy policy.
Three things the table cannot say
- Plan from the long end. Take the slowest figure, add the rest, and light the fire that far before you want to eat. Finished barbecue holds for hours; an unfinished one cannot be hurried.
- The cuts marked “stalls” will stop climbing somewhere around 150–170°F, sometimes for hours. That is evaporative cooling, not a broken smoker.
- Pull temperatures are convention; USDA minimums are not. 195–205°F for brisket is about rendering collagen. 165°F for poultry is a food-safety floor.