How to Know When Meat is Done
When you are standing at the smoker, thermometer in hand, the biggest question is simple:
How do you know when meat is done?
Time is only an estimate. Wind, outside temperature, meat thickness, and even how often you open the lid can change a cook. The real answer comes down to two things: internal temperature and tenderness.
You know meat is done when:
- It has reached a safe internal temperature
- It has reached the proper finished temperature for that cut
- It feels tender when tested
Some meats, like chicken and pork loin, are done when they reach a specific safe temperature. Others, like brisket and pork butt, are only truly finished when they become tender, which usually happens well above the minimum safe temperature.
In other words, safe does not always mean ready.
Below you will learn how to measure temperature correctly, how to test tenderness the right way, and the typical finished temperatures for common cuts of smoked meat.
Safe Temperature vs Finished Temperature
One of the biggest points of confusion in barbecue is the difference between a safe temperature and a finished temperature.
Safe temperature means the meat is safe to eat.
Finished temperature means the meat has reached the texture and tenderness it needs to taste right.
For some cuts those numbers are the same. For others, they are very different.
Here is a simple reference:
| Meat | Minimum Safe Temp | Typical Finished Temp |
|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 165°F | 165°F |
| Turkey | 165°F | 165°F |
| Pork Loin | 145°F | 145°F plus rest |
| Steak | 145°F (USDA) | 125–140°F depending on preference |
| Pork Butt | 145°F | 200–205°F and tender |
| Brisket | 145°F | 200–205°F and probe tender |
| Ribs | 145°F | Usually high 190s to low 200s and tender |
To measure internal temperature accurately, you will need a reliable digital thermometer. If you are unsure which one to use, I put together a guide to the 6 best digital meat thermometers.
Notice that larger low and slow cuts need to cook far beyond the safe temperature to break down connective tissue and become tender.
Temperature tells you when it is safe. Tenderness tells you when it is ready.
If you would like a printable time and temperature reference chart for common smoked meats, you can download it here.
How to Test for Tenderness the Right Way
For many smoked meats, temperature alone does not tell the whole story.
Large cuts like brisket and pork butt are finished when the connective tissue has broken down and the meat becomes tender. That happens at a range of temperatures, not an exact number.
Here is how to test properly.
The Probe Test
Insert a thermometer probe, skewer, or toothpick into the thickest part of the meat.
When it slides in with little to no resistance, similar to pushing into room temperature butter, the meat is done.
If it feels tight or firm, it needs more time even if the thermometer reads 200°F.
The Rib Bend Test
Pick up the rack of ribs with tongs about one third of the way from one end.
If the surface cracks slightly and the rack bends easily, they are likely done.
If the rack is stiff and does not bend, they need more time.
The Bone Wiggle Test for Pork Butt
When a pork butt is ready, the bone should twist and pull free easily with little effort.
If the bone fights you, it is not done yet.
Tenderness is the final judge for low and slow barbecue.
Temperature gets you close. Feel tells you when it is finished.
Ribs can be one of the most rewarding meats to cook and they just happen to be my all-time favorite meat so I am very excited to talk about them!
Most of these techniques can be used on baby backs as well as spare ribs. I will make distinctions between the two where necessary.
Removing the Membrane
Lay the ribs bone side up on a cutting board or clean tabletop and you will notice that there is a white almost plastic-like membrane that covers the bone side of the ribs. I highly recommend removing this to allow the smoke to better penetrate into the meat. Many restaurants do not take the time to remove this and let me tell you that it is like eating a piece of candy with the paper still on it.. just ain't right I tell ya'!!
To remove this membrane, use a sharp object like a knife or spoon handle to lift up a little piece of the membrane. Once you have a little bit to grab, use a paper towel to hold it and begin to carefully pull it off. If it tears just stop and take another go at it. With a little practice you will be doing this with your eyes closed.
Some folks have written me and said that they use catfish skinning pliers to accomplish this feat.. I say, “whatever works for you, just do it”.
Adding Rub to the Ribs
Add a thin layer of regular yellow mustard to the ribs on both sides then sprinkle on enough rub to cover the ribs with a light coating of rub. I like to apply my own original rub so that I can no longer see the meat.
My rubs are not salt based so this is OK. If you are using a store-bought rub then it is most likely salt-based and you will need to go easy with it.
Looking for a good rub for ribs, beef, chicken and almost anything you'll cook in the smoker? Mine are bottled and available just for you!
Cooking the Ribs
Place the ribs flat on the grate if possible and cook them at 225-240°F for at least 6 hours or until they are tender. (baby backs will only require about 5 hours in most cases).
Be sure to spray them with apple juice or olive oil every hour or so to keep the outside from drying out.
When Are They Done?
The ribs are done when they are tender enough and not until. In my experience, the sweet spot for ribs is when they measure 195°F in that meat right between the bones.
Visually you should be able to see the meat pulling well back from the bone and if you grab a couple of bones and try to pull them away from each other, you will be able to get a sense of how tender they are.
If you still aren't sure, do like I do and just take a big bite. If they need more time then give them more time.
3-2-1 Method
If you like ribs that are fall-off-the-bone tender then you’ll love the 3-2-1 method of cooking ribs which is simply a 3 step method for cooking very tender ribs:
- 3 hours on the grate, bone side down at 225-240°F.
- Then 2 hours wrapped in foil on the grate, bone side down at 225-240°F.
- Followed by a final hour unwrapped again and placed bone side down on the grates at 225-240°F.
During this last hour you can add barbecue sauce if you are making wet ribs.
Note: Baby back ribs follow the same process except it is more of a 2-2-1 method with step 1 being an hour less than spare ribs.
Smoke can be omitted during step 2 for both the 3-2-1 and the 2-2-1 methods since they are wrapped in foil during this time.
Some competition folks lay the ribs meaty side down during step 2 on a bed of butter and brown sugar. Sounds great to me!
See all of our pork rib recipes
Pork Shoulder is usually separated into two pieces, the butt and the picnic. In my opinion the pork butt is the best half of this cut and that is what should be used for the best pulled pork.
The butt may also be labeled “Boston Butt”.
Prepping the Pork Butt for Smoking
Rub a thin layer of yellow mustard all over the pork butt. Coat the butt with a heavy coating of my original rub making sure to get it into every nook and cranny of the meat. I recommend placing the pork butt in a disposable aluminum pan during the smoking process.
The pork butt will get plenty of smoke in the pan and the juices will be caught in the bottom. We will add those juices back into the pulled pork later.
Smoking the Pulled Pork
Smoke the pulled pork at around 240°F if possible until it reaches an internal temperature of 160°F. At this point, you may want to wrap it in foil to help hold in some of those tasty juices. You don't have to but it is a good option.
Note:you may reach a point when it seems that the pork is stuck at a certain temperature, usually around 150°-160°F and refuses to climb any higher. This happens with large cuts of meat during low and slow cooking and the best thing to do is just wait it out. This is called the “plateau” and is completely normal.
Continue to cook the pork butt until it reaches an internal temperature of 200°-205°F at which point you can remove it from the smoker and set it aside to rest for about 30 minutes.
Remember it is not done until it reaches this temperature, no matter how long it takes.
In my experience, most pork butts in the 5-9 pound range will require about 14 hours to finish if you maintain a smoker temperature of 225-240°F.
Pulling the Pork
Once the pork butt has rested, pour the juices in the pan into a separate container and place them in the fridge for fat separation.
Enjoy pulling the bone out of the meat.. trust me, it should slide right out at this point and that is just proof that you did a pretty good job of getting it tender.
Stir the meat around using a couple of forks and pull the meat into the size of chunks that you like. I also like to go through the meat pretty good and remove any chunks of fat that remain. At this point, the fat has done it's job in keeping the meat moist and in flavoring the meat and it can safely be discarded.
Once the juices have been in the fridge for an hour or so, they should begin to form a thick layer of fat at the top. This fat can be scooped off and thrown away leaving you with the extremely flavorful au jus.
Pour the au jus over the pulled pork and stir it up real good.. it is now ready to eat and I have a feeling it is really delicious.
See all of our pork butt recipes
Brisket is one of those meats that scares folks and I'm not entirely certain why this is. I think there are lots of misconceptions and hopefully I can put an end to those.
Prep the Brisket
Briskets can be prepped in a number of different ways, my favorite way to prep brisket is to make crosshatch cuts across the fat layer just through the fat without cutting into the meat. This will allow the smoke to get to the top of the meat a little easier since the fat cap is so thick.
I also like to apply a thin layer of yellow mustard to the brisket all over and then apply a good hearty portion of my rib rub to it. Massage it in making sure to get it all down in the meat, the cuts we made through the fat and anywhere else you can possibly get it.
If you want to get fancy, you can make incisions with a sharp knife about 3-4 inches into the meat to create little pockets for garlic cloves. The cloves can then be pushed in as deep as possible with your fingers or the handle end of a wooden spoon.
Smoke the Brisket
Like pork shoulder, I like to place the brisket in a disposable aluminum pan during the smoking process. Not only does this catch those tasty juices but with the bottom of the brisket sitting in the juices, it tends to soak the juices up and keeps it more moist than if it is just sitting on the grate with dry heat all around it.
Yes, I know, this keeps it from creating as good of a bark but in my opinion the trade off is well worth it in most cases.
Smoke the brisket at around 240°F for best results.
You can place some foil over the top of the brisket at around 160°F internal temperature if you like. I usually skip this step on brisket.
Note: brisket also experiences the plateau I wrote about in the note above for smoking pork butt.
The brisket is done at around 200°F and should be about right for slicing or pulling. You can even go a little longer if you want it to be really tender. Remove the brisket and set aside to allow it to rest before pulling or slicing.
Preparation for Serving
Pour the juices in the pan into a separate container and place them in the fridge for fat separation.
Once the brisket has rested for about 30 minutes it can be pulled into pieces, chopped, or sliced depending on how you want to serve it.
I recommend separating the point and the flat before slicing. You will notice a layer of fat that runs through the brisket lengthwise. Allow a sharp knife to follow this fat layer to separate the two pieces. Once it is apart, it should be sliced across the grain into pieces that are 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick.
Once the juices have been in the fridge for an hour or so, they should begin to form a thick layer of fat at the top. This fat can be scooped off and thrown away leaving you with the extremely flavorful au jus.
Pour the au jus over the brisket pieces or slices.. it is now ready to eat and I have a feeling it is really moist and delicious.
See all of our brisket recipes
Chicken is quite easy to smoke. place a little rub up under the skin wherever possible and place the chicken on the grate breast side down.
Smoke it at 240°-275°F until it reaches 165°F in the thickest part of the thigh. This will take approximately 2-1/2 hours or so but just remember, it's NOT done until it reaches the proper temperature no matter how long it takes.
Rubbery Skin?
Chicken smoked at lower temperatures tend to have skin that is just not very crisp.. to help crisp the skin you can remove the chicken from the smoker once it reaches about 140°F and finish it on the hot grill or in the broiler of your oven.
Tip: Mayonnaise rubbed on the skin before smoking has been said to help crisp up the skin as well.
See all of our chicken recipes
Times and Temperatures Chart
If you want to know the time and temperature for every cut of meat in both F and C scales, then I have a really nice downloadable chart for you.. and it's FREE!
