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.
PRACTICAL BBQ SMOKING GUIDES · FREE · NO ACCOUNT
Straight answers for real BBQ cooks
Pitwright is a practical barbecue resource: doneness temperatures, timing, and the judgment calls that actually decide a cook, written for the cuts you smoke in the backyard. No fluff, no fake tests, no sign-up.
Temperatures and timing match across every guide, tool, and printable pack, so the numbers never disagree with each other.
EXAMPLE COOK RESULTCook rating: 5 out of 5, recorded by the cook in the app
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 just want the fundamentals straight? These four cover the whole cook day.
How to Use a Smoker for the First Time
Your first smoke, step by step: which cut to start with, what pit temp to hold, why the thermometer beats the clock, and how to ride out the stall.
Read the guide ↗How to Smoke Meat on a Gas or Charcoal Grill (No Smoker Needed)
You do not need a dedicated smoker. Set up a two-zone indirect fire on any charcoal or gas grill, add wood, and hold 225 to 275°F. Here is how.
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 actually gets you.
Read the guide ↗Smoking at 225 vs 250°F: Which Should You Use?
225°F and 250°F are both standard low-and-slow pit temps. The real difference is mostly cook time, not a dramatic change in the result.
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. We say so instead of pretending otherwise.
Written from real cooking
Every number is checked against the same cook data used throughout the site. Where judgment is doing the work, the guide says so in the sentence.
More from Pitwright
The Learn library
Doneness temps, timing, the stall, wrapping, and resting for the cuts you actually 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
What earns a place at the pit and what to skip, without manufactured rankings or pretend lab tests.
See the gear notes ↗BBQ COMMAND PACKS
Plan the cook before you light the fire.
Practical, printable playbooks for specific cuts, with prep, timing, target temperatures, and clear options for when the cook goes off-script.
NO. 01 · BEEF
Beef Plate Ribs Command Pack
Brisket on the bone. The most impressive cook you’ll do. One rack, one day, with clear checkpoints from trim to probe-tender.
- THE RACK
- 3-bone plate section, 4–5 lb
- PIT TARGET
- 275°F, green zone 265–290°F
- TOTAL PLAN
- 8–10 hr, meat-on to probe-tender
NO. 02 · BEEF
First Brisket
Your first brisket, planned like your fifth: one packer, one day, a built-in hold, and decision points instead of guesswork.
Preview the pack →
NO. 03 · PORK
Pulled Pork
The cut that forgives everything: one bone-in butt, a civilized morning start, and a bone that tells you exactly when it’s done.
Preview the pack →
NO. 04 · PORK
St. Louis Ribs
The 3-2-1 cook, tuned for the meatier cut: two racks, one daytime fire, and a bend test that makes every call.
Preview the pack →6 packs in the series, each with free sample pages and secure Stripe checkout.
Pitwright’s interactive cook planner and log is in development and not yet available to use. For now, the guides, tools, and printable packs above are what the site offers, and they are free to use.