MULTI-COOK PLANNER
Cookout Planner
Set dinner time, add your meat, and build one shared timeline. Guest-sized cuts also tell you what to buy. For one cut, use the Smoking Time Calculator.
Dinner time
What are you cooking?
Rub amount (optional)
- 2 tbspKosher salt · about 17 g
- 2 tbspCoarse black pepper
Reading the timeline
Treat every time here as a planning estimate. Temperature and tenderness still decide when the meat is done. Wind, outside temperature, the way your pit runs, and the cut itself can move a step by an hour or more. Give the schedule some breathing room so a slow stretch does not move dinner with it.
If you added a planned hold, keep the meat at or above 140°F the entire time. An insulated cooler can extend the hold, but the safe limit is temperature, not the clock: check with a thermometer and confirm the meat stays at 140°F or above. For longer holds, use an oven or warming drawer that can maintain that temperature. The Rest & Hold Calculator walks through the method for each cut.
Sources and safety guidance
Food-safety numbers on this page come from published guidance, not from Pitwright’s own testing. Barbecue targets, timings, and technique are craft, and are described as such in the text.
- Danger Zone (40°F to 140°F)USDA Food Safety and Inspection ServiceHot food held for later service stays at 140°F or above; food left between 40°F and 140°F is limited to 2 hours total, or 1 hour above 90°F ambient.
- Safe Minimum Internal Temperature ChartUSDA Food Safety and Inspection ServiceMinimum safe internal temperatures: 145°F plus a 3-minute rest for whole beef, pork, and lamb; 145°F for seafood; 165°F for poultry; and label-specific ham cooking and reheating targets.
Learn the technique
Brisket Internal Temp: When Is Brisket Done?
Brisket is done around 203°F internal, but that number is only half the story. The target temp, why tenderness matters more, and the stall.
Read the guide ↗How Long to Smoke Ribs (Baby Back, St. Louis, and Spare)
Baby back ribs smoke in about 4 to 5 hours, spare or St. Louis in 6 to 7, at 225 to 250°F. The timing by cut, the 3-2-1 method, and how to test for done.
Read the guide ↗Pork Butt Finish Temp: When Is Pulled Pork Done?
The pork butt finish temp for pulled pork is about 205°F. Learn the pit temperature, probe and bone tests, stall, timing, and rest.
Read the guide ↗How Long to Rest a Brisket (and How to Hold It for Hours)
Rest a brisket at least 1 hour, ideally 2. How resting works, how the cooler hold keeps a brisket at or above 140°F, and where that hold runs out.
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 ↗