Are you looking for a definitive guide to BBQ smoking Trusted SourceSmoked meat - Wikipedia Smoked meat is the result of a method of preparing red meat, white meat, and seafood which originated in the Paleolithic Era. Smoking adds flavor, improves the appearance of meat through the Maillard reaction, and when combined with curing it preserves the meat en.wikipedia.org meat times and smoking meat temperature? If so, you have come to the right place. Smoking BBQ is one of the trickiest ways of cooking your meats and vegetables. Without the right knowledge and patience, you will likely have a hard time doing it rightly. There are many things involved in smoking food correctly, and one of the things that you must know is when your food is completely smoked and safe to eat.
How will you know when the smoked meat is ready? Well, there are several things that you can watch out for. Some of these include clear running juices and a caramelized outer crust. In this post, we reveal all of these. We will provide a table of different types of meats and it will include the recommended temperature, cook times, and so on. We also will give you tips on getting the best out of all the meats that you smoke.
Well, before we delve into the several types of meat and their recommended smoking times, we should know what BBQ smoking is. Well, this is different from grilling. Instead, smoking is the process of preparing your food by exposing it to smoke from a smoker or pit. It involves using best wood chips for smoking to give the food a smoky taste and unique flavor.
Knowing the correct temperature and smoking time is important if you want your food to be done correctly. It is also important if you are after a smoky flavor.
In the next sections, we will see the guidelines required for smoking different types of meats. We will detail the required temperatures, the time, and the internal temperatures.
Without further ado, let’s see the chart of different meats.
Beef is one of the more popular meats that you find on the BBQ. It has a near-constant smoking temperature; however, there are different lengths of time required for thorough cooking. It is somewhat different from chicken in that the different sections of beef need different internal temperatures to be correctly cooked.
Type | Smoking Temp (F) | Smoking Time | Finished Temp (F) |
Beef Back Ribs | 225 to 250 | 3 to 4 hours | 185 to 190 |
Short Ribs | 225 to 250 | 6 to 8 hours | 190 to 200 |
Pulled Brisket | 225 to 250 | 70 to 90 minutes per pound | 198 to 203 |
Sliced Brisket | 225 to 250 | 70 to 90 minutes per pound | 190 to 195 |
Tenderloin | 225 to 250 | 2 to 3 hours | 130 to 140 |
Chuck Roast | 225 to 250 | 12 to 20 hours | 190 to 200 |
Prime Rib | 225 to 250 | 2 to 3 hours | 130 to 140 |
Tri-Tip | 225 to 250 | 2 to 3 hours | 130 to 140 |
Now that you have seen the correct smoking times and temperatures for different parts of beef, we will give you some tips that can help you do the cooking correctly.
When smoking back ribs, you should cut the ribs apart before you begin cooking. The benefit of that is that you will get even smoking all around.
Briskets are the favorite part of the meat for many people. When smoking briskets, there are some things to keep in mind.
One tip to know whether the short ribs are done is by checking the tenderness. If they are pretty tender, then they are ready to be eaten.
As with the briskets, the smoking time of the chuck roast depends on how thick it is. A thick chunk roast will need a longer smoke time than your thin chuck roast.
Poultry, encompassing chicken, turkey, and other birds are also popular meat for BBQ. The chart below shows the ideal temperature and cook times for different parts of the meat.
Type | Smoking Temp (F) | Smoking Time | Finished Temp(F) |
Legs | 275 to 350 | 1.5 hours | 170 |
Wings | 275 to 350 | 1.25 hours | 170 |
Breasts | 275 to 350 | 2 hours | 165 |
Thighs | 275 to 350 | 1.5 hours | 170 |
Quarters | 275 to 350 | 1 to 2 hours | 170 |
Whole Poultry | 275 to 350 | 2 to 3 hours | 170 |
As is evident from the chart above, smoking poultry is pretty easy as the temperature for different parts is the same. The only different thing is the finished internal temperature.
If you are looking to smoke chicken, here are some handy tips that can help you with doing so correctly.
These are other types of meat and require different smoking. Most people that use fish and seafood for BBQ prefer to use fattier fish as these are easier to smoke and generally considered more enjoyable. There are so many types of fish and seafood, but we will list the most common options.
Type | Smoking Temp (F) | Smoking Time | Finished Temp(F) |
Whole Salmon | 200 | 1 to 2 hours | 145 |
Salmon Filet | 220 | 1 hour | 145 |
Whole Trout | 225 | 1 hour | 145 |
Mackerel | 175 to 200 | 3 hours | 145 |
Whitefish | 175 to 200 | 3 hours | 145 |
Tuna | 175 to 200 | 3 hours | 145 |
Tilapia Filet | 220 | 1 hour | 145 |
Oyster | 225 | 1 hour | 165 |
Shrimp | 225 | 30 minutes | 165 |
Truth is that not everyone likes lamb as a BBQ option. It is not a regular meat that is smoked. However, when done right, you might want nothing else but this type of meat.
Type | Smoking Temp (F) | Smoking Time | Finished Temp (F) |
Leg | 225 to 250 | 4 to 8 hours | 140 to 150 |
Shoulder | 225 to 250 | 5 to 5.5 hours | 170 |
Shank | 225 to 250 | 4 to 5 hours | 190 |
Since lamb is a rather delicate type of meat, you have to prepare it carefully. Here are some of the things that you should keep in mind when smoking lamb.
When you think of smoking meat, pork is one of the first types of meat that comes to mind. There are different parts and each of them has its best smoking temperature and time. Let’s see from the chart below
Type | Smoking Temp (F) | Smoking Time | Finished Temp (F) |
Back Ribs | 225 to 250 | 5 hours | 180 |
Spare Ribs | 225 to 250 | 5 to 7 hours | 180 to 185 |
Pork Belly | 225 to 250 | 6 to 8 hours | 195 to 200 |
Sausage | 225 to 250 | 1 to 3 hours | 165 |
Tenderloin | 225 to 250 | 3 hours` | 160 |
Butt and Shoulders | 225 to 250 | 1.5 hours | 200 to 205 |
Hocks | 200 to 225 | 2 hours | 150 |
Chops | 225 to 250 | 1.5 hours | 145 |
Whole Pig | 225 to 250 | 16 to 18 | 205 |
There are so many parts in pork, which means that without the right guidance, you might not get the smoking and cooking right. Here are some of the best tips that will help you in cooking it correctly.
Turkey is another type of meat and is especially served for Thanksgiving. It adds a unique taste and is beloved by many people. Here is a heating chart for this meat.
Type | Smoking Temp | Smoking Time | Finished Temp |
Legs | 275 to 350 | 3 hours | 170 |
Wings | 275 to 350 | 2.5 hours | 170 |
Breasts | 275 to 350 | 4 hours | 165 |
Whole Turkey | 275 to 350 | 4 to 5 hours | 165 for the breast and 185 for the thighs |
Turkey is a relatively delicate type of meat, so some tips can help you to get the best from it.
Game meat is a whole different ball game. There are different meats in this category, ranging from elk to quail, and duck to venison. The chart below shows you what to expect in terms of smoking temperature and times.
Type | Smoking Temp (F) | Smoking Time | Finished Temp (F) |
Quail | 225 | 1 hour | 165 |
Pheasant | 225 | 1 hour | 165 |
Game Hens | 240 | 2 hours | 165 |
Whole Duck | 225 to 250 | 4 hours | 165 |
Venison | 225 to 275 | 4 hours | 165 |
Bison | 225 | 1 hour | 150 |
Wild Boar | 250 to 300 | 4 hours | 165 |
Elk | 225 | 1 hour | 150 |
Here are some things that can help you with smoking game meat correctly
The charts that we have provided above show some of the best temperatures and times required to smoke different types of meats. However, there are other factors that you might wish to consider when smoking food. We will consider these in this section.
The thickness of your meat will determine the length of cooking and the temperature. A general rule of thumb is that a larger portion will require higher temperatures or longer period of cooking and smoking.
Another thing that might affect the smoking times and temperatures is whether the meat has been de-boned or not. If it has been de-boned, then it will take a shorter time to cook than boned meat.
The level of concentration of fat in your meat will affect the length of time required for cooking. With a higher level of fat, you will need a longer period of smoking.
The BBQ pit or the smoker that you use for cooking or smoking will determine the length and temperature of cooking. As this equipment comes with different features, you will find that they have different temperature limits. For instance, gas grills have a different temperature capability than charcoal grills. Choosing an electric smoker like the Masterbuilt MB20070210, according to many users, will ensure that you get the best from your meat.
Similar to the type of pit and smoker that you use is the type of burner. The burner will be affected by the fuel source. If you use wood or charcoal, you should expect slightly different outcomes. When you use wood, for example, you can determine the type of smoky flavor that the food will have.
The temperature that you cook with will also be affected by the weather conditions. It is especially important if you are cooking outdoors. The equipment used will work differently based on the weather condition.
Well, there are meat thermometers used to measure both the external and internal temperatures of the meat you are cooking.
Thankfully, there are several models of meat thermometers on the market. Some are designed to help you monitor the temperature of your food even when you are not there. It comes with different probes that can be stuck into different parts of the meat to know the accurate temperature.
Reviews indicate that the TP20 from ThermoPro is one of the best meat thermometers that you can buy right now.
Certain tips can help you to safely cook your meat. Here are some useful tips:
There are two types of smoking – hot smoking and cold smoking.
Hot smoking is the process of cooking the meat while flavoring the meat with smoke. On the other hand, cold smoking is the process of smoking for a long time at low temperatures.
While the smoking method can seem hard, you can make a success of it by having the right equipment and information. In this post, we have considered the best smoking meat times and smoking meat temperature for some of the most popular options. We hope that this helps you to get the best out of your smoking process.