I have been asked many times to put together a basic table of times and temperatures for smoking meats. This is the times and temperatures that I use but please understand that they are only guidelines.
All smokers are different and add in the other variables like weather conditions, wind, ambient temperature, etc. and things can vary by as much as an hour or more.
Learn to tell doneness visually as well as with temperature and time and you will be a much better chef at the smoker.
| Type of Meat | Smoking Temp | Time to Complete | Finished Temp |
| Brisket (Sliced) | 225°F | 1.5 hours/pound | 180 degrees |
| Brisket (Pulled) | 225°F | 1.5 hours/pound | 195 degrees |
| Beef Ribs | 225°F | 3 hours | 175 degrees |
| Pork Butt (Sliced) | 225°F | 1.5 hours/pound | 175 degrees |
| Pork Butt (Pulled) | 225°F | 1.5 hours/pound | 190-205 |
| Whole Chicken | 250°F | 4 hours | 167 degrees |
| Chicken Thighs | 250°F | 1.5 hours | 167 degrees |
| Chicken Quarters | 250°F | 3 hours | 167 degrees |
| Whole Turkey 12# | 240°F | 6.5 hours | 170 degrees |
| Turkey Leg | 250°F | 4 hours | 165 degrees |
| Turkey Wings | 225°F | 2.5 hours | 165 degrees |
| Boudin | 230°F | 2.5 hours | 165 degrees |
| Breakfast Sausage | 230°F | 3 hours | 160 degrees |
| Fatties | 225°F | 3 hours | 165 degrees |
| Meat Loaf | 250 -300°F | 3 hours | 160 degrees |
| Meatballs (2 inch) | 225°F | 1 hour | 165 degrees |
| Spare Ribs | 225-240°F | 6 hours | 172 degrees |
| Baby Back Ribs | 225-240°F | 5 hours | 168 degrees |
| Smoked Corn | 225°F | 1.5 – 2 hours | N/A |
| Smoked Potatoes | 225°F | 2 – 2.5 Hours | N/A |
Note: Be sure to use temperature to tell you when the meat is done.. time is just an estimate and is NOT an indicator of doneness.
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Thank you for these guide. I was looking for the smoke meat temps. I am curious though. On some of them you have 225 and some you have 250. How come they are not all the same temperature? I’m new to it so I didn’t know. Thanks again.
My temperatures on smoke cooking will vary to some degree.. I am constantly testing and improving my methods and for this reason I will post what I have had the best luck with.
In general you will see that temperatures can range between 220 and 250. I usually try to hold it to 225-240 but that’s just me.
For most things, you will do just fine if you keep it somewhere between 225-240 but there are meats such as poultry that can easily be cooked hotter if you wish.
Chicken and turkey do not benefit “tenderness wise” from cooking low and slow however the low and slow gives more time in the smoke which increases the smokey flavor.
There are processes such as brining which will also greatly improve the ability of the meat to handle the temperature swings without drying out especially poultry. I have a good writeup on brining at http://www.smoking-meat.com/brining-meat.html which should give you a really good idea of what it is and how to do it. It will change the way you expect poultry to taste for the rest of your life.
Having said all of this.. I recommend that you keep a log of what you cook, how you cook it, weather conditions, etc. and you will begin to find what works best for you.
What I provide is a place to start and hopefully you will tweak it to your own liking as you progress.
Thanks for this great page.