🔥 BBQ Smoking Guide

Estimate smoking time for any cut of meat. Get internal temperature targets, wood pairing recommendations, and low-and-slow techniques for perfect results.

Meat type

Weight

Weight unit

Smoker temp

Click a Meat for Quick Setup

Wood Pairing Guide

🪵 Hickory

Strong, bold, bacon-like smoke. The classic BBQ wood. Best for pork, ribs, brisket. Overpowering for delicate meats.

🪵 Oak

Medium, earthy, clean. Versatile — works with everything. The most neutral BBQ wood. Great for long cooks without going bitter.

🪵 Mesquite

Intense, earthy, slightly sweet. Burns hot. Best for short, high-heat cooks. Can go bitter in long smokes. Excellent for steaks.

🪵 Cherry

Mild, sweet, fruity. Beautiful mahogany colour on meat. Great for poultry, pork, salmon. Blends well with hickory or oak.

🪵 Apple

Very mild, sweet, fruity. Excellent for poultry and pork. Long smoke won't go bitter. Pairs with cherry for deeper colour.

🪵 Pecan

Medium, nutty, slightly sweet. A milder hickory. Excellent for brisket, ribs, whole chicken. Popular in Texas BBQ competitions.

🪵 Alder

Light, delicate, slightly sweet. The traditional wood for smoked salmon in the Pacific Northwest. Too mild for red meat.

🪵 Maple

Mild, sweet, subtle. Good for poultry and vegetables. Lovely with pork when combined with apple. Clean finish.

🌡️ The stall explained: Around 65–74°C (150–165°F), internal temp seems to stop rising for hours. This is evaporative cooling — moisture leaving the meat surface cools it as fast as the smoker heats it. It will pass. Solutions: push through it (takes 2–4 hrs), or "Texas crutch" — wrap tightly in butcher paper or foil to speed through the stall.

⏱️ Time estimates are guides, not gospel: Smoking time varies enormously with fat content, starting temp, and smoker efficiency. Always cook to internal temperature, not time. Buy a good probe thermometer — it's the most important BBQ tool you own.

🥩 The rest: Resting is not optional. After pulling the meat, rest it wrapped in butcher paper inside a cooler for 1–4 hours. This allows juices to redistribute and the temp to even out throughout the cut. A brisket that rests for 2 hours beats one served immediately from the smoker every time.