USDA Recommended Safe Minimum Internal Temperatures
• Steaks & Roasts - 145 °F
• Fish - 145 °F
• Pork - 160 °F
• Ground Beef - 160 °F
• Egg Dishes - 160 °F
• Chicken Breasts - 165 °F
• Whole Poultry - 165 °F
How to Use a Food Thermometer
1. Use an instant-read food thermometer to check the internal temperature toward the end of the cooking time, but before the food is expected to be "done." I suggest digital!!
2. The food thermometer should be placed in the thickest part of the food and should not be touching bone, fat, or gristle.
3. Compare your thermometer reading to the USDA Recommended Safe Minimum Internal Temperatures to determine if your food has reached a safe temperature.
4. Make sure to clean your food thermometer with hot, soapy water before and after each use!
5. Most of the time people over cook food because they are too lazy to buy and use a good thermometer. I always cook up to and not over the USDA safe temperature. Meat always raises 5 degrees after removed from the smoker or grill. That is your safety margin. Never cut meat immediately after removing from the smoker, let it rest, you will retain more moisture in the meat. Six to ten minutes.
I can give you suggested cooking times for various meats, but remember, depending on your smoker temperature, this can vary.
Low and slow is sometimes driven in the ground and I don’t believe in it all the time. I cook with all my Good-One’s at 260 to 280 degrees. If I am in a hurry to finish a meat because of scheduling, I have been known to cook at 350 degrees to push a meat through. I think you can only do this on The Good-One because of its unique design.
Spareribs -3 hours, wrap in foil, then 2 hours longer.
Baby Back ribs – 3 hours, wrap in foil, then 1 hour longer
Pork shoulder or Butt – 6 hours, wrap in plastic then foil, then 3 to 4 hours longer. The internal meat temp must reach 200 degrees to be pulled pork. This is food for a 6 to 10 pond butt. Always cook fat side down. Rub with yellow mustard and your favorite rub the night before and apply more rub before putting on smoker. Always put your meat on the smoker as cold as possible to allow for maximum smoke penetration. The more rub, the more bark.
Brisket – 6 hours, wrap in plastic then foil, then 4 hours longer, this good for up to a 15 lb packer brisket, it’s too long for a trimmed flat. Don’t start by cooking flats there pretty touchy. Cook fat side down, same rub and mustard techniques apply as the butt. Finish temp is 200 degrees to be tender. Be sure to cut brisket cross grain to prevent from being stringy.
Pork Chops, chicken wings, drumsticks, tenderloins – 1 to 2 hours. The more meat on the smoker, the longer it takes
Scallops, fish and shrimp- ½ hour to 1 -1/2 hours
Whole chickens – 2 to 3 hours, the bigger the bird the longer the time, make sure you check temps in the thigh without touching the bone. Take two or three readings.
Whole pork loins – 2-1/2 hours to 4 hours. I suggest cutting them in thirds.
Steaks – 2 to 3 hours at 250 degrees, low and slow is best for this, otherwise you might as well grill them.
Hamburgers – 1 to 2 hours, you will never grill them again.
Chicken breasts – 2 to 3 hours
Salmon – 45 minutes
Whole turkeys – two 20 lb turkeys – 6 hours, two 25 lb turkeys – 7 hours
Beef ribs – 3 hours, wrap in foil then 2 more hours. Make sure you remove the membrane off the back just like pork ribs. Yellow mustard and a salty rub is a good combination. Remember salt removes moisture, so don’t get too much salt in your rub.
Baked potatoes – 2 to 3 hours, we can talk twice baked or Buzzard’s famous Betty potatoes if you are interested, call me.
Casserole dishes – go by recipe with close to recommend temps, if the temp is 400 and you can’t achieve that, just cook a little longer.
Skewers with veggies – a hint: cook the meat a little first before you load the skewers, otherwise you will have raw meat and dried out veggies.
Pies and cobblers – same as casserole dishes.
Fatties – 1 to 2 hours. Don’t know what this is? Jimmy Dean Maple sausage covered with your favorite BBQ rub, it is delightfully surprising.
Halved Pineapples - 1 to 3 hours- cored and loaded with a bunch of fresh pineapple topped with a cinnamon, Vanille rum sauce, you would not believe this, so just try it. The recipe is as follows: