Best Practices For BBQ Smoking [Safe Temperatures & Cooking Times]

Barbecue smoking is an everyday warm-weather activity and is increasing in popularity not only at home, but also in restaurants, in restaurants, it can be an all year-round activity. No matter what the occasion is, or how exactly you are preparing to smoke, temperature monitoring is essential. The USDA has implemented safety guides for temperature in order for people to have the ability to cook safely and enjoy the meat being smoked. The complexity in which cooking different meats is vast, and following temperature regulations for cooking meat in regards to USDA and FDA standards is vital. 

The process of maintaining safe consumable meat starts with the point of purchase. If the meat is frozen, proper thawing practices must be implemented. With proper thawing, the meat is cooked evenly and at the correct temperatures. Putting frozen meat in the refrigerators for slow defrosting ensures the meat will continually be kept at a safe temperature, and also provides the opportunity to keep it refrigerated if not being cooked immediately. Once the meat is fully defrosted is the point when marinating would take place. Marinating must take place in the refrigerator and marinated meat must not be left out. If the meat is left out, there’s the possibility it will reach unsafe temperatures, making it unfit for consumption. 

Once the meat is defrosted and marinated, barbequing is the next (and most important) step. Keeping a close eye on the temperature of the meat while it’s cooking is important, but the temperature of the barbeque and smoke is also vital to ensure you are cooking flavorful and safe-to-consume meats. The general guideline for cooking temperatures is as follows: 

• Pork and beef ribs, pork shoulders, and beef brisket: must reach 140 degrees, but taste best when they are slow-cooked up to 203 degrees
• Poultry: must reach 165 degrees for USDA standards to protect against salmonella; darker meat can go up to 170 degrees for taste
• Ground meat, burgers, and sausage: the recommendation from the USDA is 160 degrees, which is considered “well done” and protects from the pathogenic strain of E-Coli. Since these are considered higher-risk meats than muscle meat (based on the slaughter practices of ground beef) this standard is vital to follow
• Fish: Recommendations for fish temperatures is 145 degrees to protect from any possible parasites
• Vegetables and other foods: heating these foods can protect from any possible contaminates that could reach the foods, so a quick flash of heat can protect from any danger

Resting meats such as pork, beef, and ground beef are an important aspect of barbeque smoking, as they continue to cook for a small period of time after coming away from heat. The timing of the resting period depends on the temperature of the meat, but any kind of meat will not cook more than 3-5 degrees in the resting period. Having a meat thermometer can help this process go much smoother, as it’s easy to check the internal temperature of the meats during both cooking and resting time.

To have the most flavorful outcome, the smoking temperature must also be taken into consideration. Some temperatures have to be significantly higher than the final internal temperatures of the meat that is being cooked. For briskets, roasts, and any other cuts of beef, the smoking temperature is best between 225-250 degrees, with a 1.5-hour per pound cooking time. For poultry, the smoke should be between 275-350 degrees, and cooked from 1-2 hours. It’s highly recommended that internal temperature are checked between the first and second hour. For a more in depth detail of smoking temperatures, refer to the chart below:

Watching over smoking temperatures is important but can easily go wrong. For instance, in Gulfport, MS the smoker in Murky Waters BBQ, a restaurant on 27th Avenue, exploded. This was caused by grease in the smokestack, which could have been avoided if regulations for cleaning and temperature were kept in place. 

Keeping track of temperature throughout the smoking process is key; from the initial point of purchase to its refrigeration storage prior to cooking to the actual cooking itself. 

Check out this infographic to learn more about BBQ smoking:

click to enlarge