What's the magic number?

[DustyJoe84]

Prior to smoking for myself, I had always read 225° was the number to be at when smoking. I've read a few posts where guys are cooking at 250-275. Is 225° more appropriate for longer cooks like brisket while 250-275 is fine for ribs and pork butts, etc.? I did some chicken thighs the other day and read that to get a nice crispness on the skin I should cook around 325°

I guess my question would the general rule of thumb be longer cooks=lower temperature and shorter cooks=higher temperature?

Thanks in advance, everyone. You've been awesome so far!

 

[crazymoon]

DJ84, I think you'll get answers all over the spectrum on that question. There is the "low and slow" crowd and the "hot and fast" group. I stick at 225* for most eveything with an bump to 250*if I'm running behind on time.Poultry can always be crisped on the grill at the end of the smoke.

 

[gmc2003]

Crazymoon is correct. There isn't one right way or wrong way of doing things. It basically boils down to your time, equipment, and how much effort you want to put into it. I smoke almost everything in the 250* range, except poultry. Then I shoot for 325* plus. There isn't really anything to render out of chicken and it takes on plenty of smoke flavor at those temps for us.

Chris

 

[drunkenmeatfist]

I prefer the hotter temps, but my cooker likes to settle in higher anyways. Ribs at 275, butt between 250 and 300, chicken over 300. It seems that pork shoulder is very forgiving and can be cooked at nearly any temp. I have even tried brisket at 350 and it turned out great. You just have to experiment and find out what you prefer.

 

[SmokinAl]

I used to be obsessed with maintaining a pit temp at 225. I would sit by the smoker & adjust the vents all day long, then one day I just let the smoker run at whatever temp it wanted to run at & added a spilt every so often to keep a good coal bed. The smoker settled in at around 270-280 & the brisket I had on there was fantastic. Done much sooner than I had anticipated, and just as tender & juicy as if I would have run it at 225. Now I just fire up the smoker & where ever it settles in at that is where I leave it. If it's 225 the food will take a little longer to cook, if it's 280 it will be done sooner. Sometimes it will vary between 225 & 300. No big deal cause the meat is done when it is done. Timing it out is the big problem, but everybody that comes over to my house for BBQ knows that they will eat when the meat is done, however I do have plenty of appetizers & adult beverages to forget about the meat & just enjoy themselves until the main meat is done.
Al

 

[Winterrider]

I used to be obsessed with maintaining a pit temp at 225. I would sit by the smoker & adjust the vents all day long, then one day I just let the smoker run at whatever temp it wanted to run at & added a spilt every so often to keep a good coal bed. The smoker settled in at around 270-280 & the brisket I had on there was fantastic. Done much sooner than I had anticipated, and just as tender & juicy as if I would have run it at 225. Now I just fire up the smoker & where ever it settles in at that is where I leave it. If it's 225 the food will take a little longer to cook, if it's 280 it will be done sooner. Sometimes it will vary between 225 & 300. No big deal cause the meat is done when it is done. Timing it out is the big problem, but everybody that comes over to my house for BBQ knows that they will eat when the meat is done, however I do have plenty of appetizers & adult beverages to forget about the meat & just enjoy themselves until the main meat is done.
Al

Good to have alarms on the thermometers for when you get a few adult beverages and good conversation with company.;) . Have been known to let it slip a time or two.

 

[drunkenmeatfist]

I think it is worth noting that if you have used an oven then you have likely dealt with swinging temps anyways. Most ovens set at 350 will cycle 20 degrees in either direction throughout the cook time. Realizing this calmed my worries about dialing in my cooker at a specific temp for the whole cook.

 

[Bearcarver]

With me it pretty much depends on what meat I'm doing.
I would say most of my "Non-cured" meats are smoked near the 225° range.
Prime Rib @ 220°.
Chicken @ 250° & finish at 275°.
Most other things between 230° and 240°.

I would say if things had to be smoked at 280° or above they wouldn't make so many Smokers that Max out at 275°.

Bear

 

[SonnyE]

Shoot, there is a LOT of Depends in your question, DustyJoe.
I was curious when I first joined SMF.com as to why folks were perplexed about crispy chicken skin when smoking chicken.
So I smoked some chicken legs and thighs for a bit, then put them in my Air Fryer and Zappo! Crispy, smoked chicken skin.

Cooking is an experiment in food. Even if you follow a recipe to the thousandth of a gram in accuracy, the food being used is a variable. Heck, your thermometer and mine are going to read differently.
I never quite understood folks thinking a tenth of a degree is so damned important. It isn't.
Nor have I understood why folks expect retail grade thermometers to be X-ring accurate. They are not. They are rough guess at best.
So folks check them with Ice Water, and boiling water, and get a general idea.

What is being cooked has a tremendous bearing on what temperature, how long to cook, when to turn (if turning is desired).

My MES 30's control is "off" by ~10°. So I set it at 215° for an average 225° temperature. Which seems to vary from 210ish to 240ish as it cycles.
About the only time I adhere to strict temperature settings is when following one of Bear's Step-By-Steps. Where he steps the temp up in a time frame. And even then, I watch the temperatures, but don't worry if it bobs above or below.

So It Depends.
If you are going to make cake, you have to crack a few eggs.
If you are going to Bar-B-Que, you are apt to run into some variables, or burn a few things. To me, sometimes things taste better a little "charred".
But maybe not to you....

Rule of thumb, follow the recipe. At least the first time. Then use your own discretion to vary things.

 

[tallbm]

Prior to smoking for myself, I had always read 225° was the number to be at when smoking. I've read a few posts where guys are cooking at 250-275. Is 225° more appropriate for longer cooks like brisket while 250-275 is fine for ribs and pork butts, etc.? I did some chicken thighs the other day and read that to get a nice crispness on the skin I should cook around 325°

I guess my question would the general rule of thumb be longer cooks=lower temperature and shorter cooks=higher temperature?

Thanks in advance, everyone. You've been awesome so far!

Hi there and welcome!

I think you are seeing there are a lot of approaches and they all seem to work.
I fall into the camp of "the smoker temp depends on the meat".

For stuff like pork butts, pork ribs, brisket, and beef ribs I go 275F since those pieces of meat don't care and the higher temp finishes the cook faster.

For poultry with skin on I go 325F because poultry skin can come out tough and leathery unless you cook at a higher temp or you finish it off on a hot grill or hot oven, etc. to get edible or even crispy skin. I'm not heartbroken when poultry skin is edible but not crispy, BUT I get very annoyed with inedible poultry skin lol.

For everything else that is not a cured meat (sausage, bacon, etc.) I go with whatever temp makes the most sense for my purposes. So for things like brined boneless chicken breast or brined pork loin chops I turn down the temp so it gets more time in the smoke.

You just have to figure out what works for you and also what your smoking setup likes to do. Mine is electric with very very very fine control where others are running stick burners that have a range the smoker simply likes to be in so they go with it.

Best of luck on what you land on and I hope you crank out good tasting food :)

 

[smokinbill1638]

When I first started, I would freak at 230 (thought was way to high) trying to get 225 lol. I am much better now. I do try to keep below 240 but I don't worry to much. Just have to try for what you want, but be open to what it wants to do.

 

[Bearcarver]

Shoot, there is a LOT of Depends in your question, DustyJoe.
I was curious when I first joined SMF.com as to why folks were perplexed about crispy chicken skin when smoking chicken.
So I smoked some chicken legs and thighs for a bit, then put them in my Air Fryer and Zappo! Crispy, smoked chicken skin.

Cooking is an experiment in food. Even if you follow a recipe to the thousandth of a gram in accuracy, the food being used is a variable. Heck, your thermometer and mine are going to read differently.
I never quite understood folks thinking a tenth of a degree is so damned important. It isn't.
Nor have I understood why folks expect retail grade thermometers to be X-ring accurate. They are not. They are rough guess at best.
So folks check them with Ice Water, and boiling water, and get a general idea.

What is being cooked has a tremendous bearing on what temperature, how long to cook, when to turn (if turning is desired).

My MES 30's control is "off" by ~10°. So I set it at 215° for an average 225° temperature. Which seems to vary from 210ish to 240ish as it cycles.
About the only time I adhere to strict temperature settings is when following one of Bear's Step-By-Steps. Where he steps the temp up in a time frame. And even then, I watch the temperatures, but don't worry if it bobs above or below.

So It Depends.
If you are going to make cake, you have to crack a few eggs.
If you are going to Bar-B-Que, you are apt to run into some variables, or burn a few things. To me, sometimes things taste better a little "charred".
But maybe not to you....

Rule of thumb, follow the recipe. At least the first time. Then use your own discretion to vary things.

FWIW: In my Step by Steps, when I say Smoker temp was 220° that means "Average".
That could be cycling from 210° to 230°, or it could mean cycling between 205° to 235°.
Because half of the time the meat gets heat below center (average) & half of the time the meat gets heat above center (average). So this should cook the food at the same rate as if it stayed exactly on that center (average) Temp the whole time. Hopefully others can understand what I'm saying---Not easy to explain in writing.

Bear

 

[SonnyE]

FWIW: In my Step by Steps, when I say Smoker temp was 220° that means "Average".
That could be cycling from 210° to 230°, or it could mean cycling between 205° to 235°.
Because half of the time the meat gets heat below center (average) & half of the time the meat gets heat above center (average). So this should cook the food at the same rate as if it stayed exactly on that center (average) Temp the whole time. Hopefully others can understand what I'm saying---Not easy to explain in writing.

Bear

No, it's not easy to explain, Bear. I understand clearly, good way you put it.
But You and I, and other old salts, realize there will be ups and downs to the temperatures. Just the nature of the beast.
So saying 220° is the Average temperature.

Personally, I think the bobbing of temperature kind of helps. But I have no scientific evidence to endorse the thought.
I do know in Industry, temperatures bear a tolerance, which is just another way to say a little this way, or a little that way.
In a graph, a wavy line.

 

[DustyJoe84]

Thanks everyone for your insight! I really appreciate this group. You all have been awesome to this newbie!

 

[phathead69]

Sitting here right now with 3 of dbl smoked hams in the stick burner . I just watched the temp drop from 235 to 215 in 40 mins. Just got back from adding a pre heated split . When I got back in the maverick showed 217 and 15 min later I'm looking at 234. When I first started I obsessed with steady but thanks to bear jj al chile and others with experience greater than mine, go with avg temp and what works for your food.

 

[phathead69]

Update. 243.

 

[BKING!]

I’d do whatever temp your smoker runs best at.
For charcoal I do hot and fast temp to get a cleaner burning fire with more airflow.
For pellet I do low and slow for more smoke.
Stickburner I typically run 275 because that’s where it liked to run.

I do find for hot and fast, braising/wrapping becomes more essential for tenderness. A longer rest becomes essential too.