Grounded in the cut
Guidance is written per cut, from brisket to wings, because a target that is right for a pork shoulder is wrong for a chicken thigh.
FREE BBQ GUIDES AND COOK-DAY TOOLS
Straight answers for real BBQ cooks
Need the target temperature for a cut, or a timing range you can plan around? The guides and free cook-day tools are here when you need them. No account required.
The same temperatures and timing carry through every guide, tool, and printable pack.
EXAMPLE BRISKET COOK
Brisket, 12.4 lb
Post oak225°F pitOvernight
11h 42mTOTAL
160°FWRAPPED AT
1h 05mRESTED
WORKED
Wrapped in butcher paper right at the stall. Bark held up.
NEXT TIME
Trim the flat thinner. Start the fire 30 min earlier.
Start here
New to smoking, or want the fundamentals straight? These four cover the whole cook day.
How to Use a Smoker for the First Time
Learn how to run your first smoke: choose a forgiving cut, hold 225–250°F at grate level, expect the stall, check doneness, and rest before serving.
Read the guide ↗How to Smoke Meat on a Gas or Charcoal Grill (No Smoker Needed)
You do not need a dedicated smoker. Use a two-zone indirect fire on any charcoal or gas grill, add wood, and hold 225 to 275°F.
Read the guide ↗Do You Need a Thermometer to Smoke Meat?
Yes, a thermometer is close to essential for smoking meat. Why the built-in dome gauge is not enough, and what a real thermometer gets you.
Read the guide ↗How Pitwright works
Temperature over the clock
Doneness comes from internal temperature and a tenderness test, not a timer. Food-safety minimums come from published USDA guidance.
Timing as a range
Cook times are estimates given as ranges, because cut shape, weather, and the piece of meat move them by hours. Each guide states the range and what drives it.
The numbers stay consistent
A temperature in a guide matches the same cut in the tools and printable packs. When the numbers can only get you so far, the guide tells you what to look for at the pit.
More from Pitwright
The Learn library
Doneness temps, timing, the stall, wrapping, and resting for the cuts you smoke.
Read the guides ↗Free cook-day tools
Scale a rub to your meat weight, check pit and pull temps, and plan a brisket start time. No account, nothing to install.
Use the tools ↗Gear buying guides
Practical gear notes: what makes a difference at the pit, what can wait, and what to look for.
See the gear notes ↗Want one complete printable cook-day plan?
Each Command Pack covers one cut from shopping list to slicing: prep, timing, target temperatures, and what to do when the cook goes off-script. 6 packs in the series.
NO. 02 · BEEF
First Brisket Command Pack
Take a 12 to 14 lb whole packer through 10 to 12 hours over a 250°F fire, then leave 2 to 4 hours for the hold.