Basics for Beginners

How Much Turkey Per Person: Find Your Crowd Size

October 30, 2026

USDA says 1 pound of whole turkey per guest. Find your crowd from 4 to 30 guests, with leftover sizes, a breast-only option and the…

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BBQ Temperature Charts & Guides

Four quick-reference tools every cook bookmarks — target temps, pull temps, and how long leftovers keep, plus the full BBQ glossary.

Smoking time & temp
CutPullTime
Brisket203°F12–16h
Spare ribs195–203°F~6h
Pork butt203°F12–14h

Target temps & times for 17 cuts, sortable by meat, weight and doneness.

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Steak & burger doneness
DonenessTarget
Rare125–130°F
Medium-rare130–135°F
Well-done160°F+

Rare to well-done, burger safety (160°F) and resting times.

View full chart →
BBQ leftovers
FoodFridgeFreezer
Brisket, ribs3–4 days2–3 mo
Smoked sausage1 week1–2 mo
Potato salad3–4 daysno freeze

How long smoked meats & sides keep — fridge and freezer, USDA-based.

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BBQ Glossary
MaillardBarkThe StallReverse SearSmoke RingFat Cap

Every pit term decoded — cooking methods, gear, cuts, wood, and technique, A to Z.

Open the glossary →

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How Much Turkey Per Person: Find Your Crowd Size
Basics for Beginners

How Much Turkey Per Person: Find Your Crowd Size

USDA says 1 pound of whole turkey per guest. Find your crowd from 4 to 30 guests, with leftover sizes, a breast-only option and the day to start thawing.

Read the article

A large glazed pork roast cooking on a round charcoal grill with smoke rising around it, outdoors Smoked Ham: Double Smoked, Fresh or CountryHow to smoke every kind of ham, from a fully cooked spiral (double smoked) to a raw fresh ham, with the USDA temperature for each label, oven times by...Read the article
Raw whole turkey on a cutting board being injected with a syringe in a home kitchen, preparing for brining or stuffing the meat Turkey Injection Recipes: 4 Mixes and How MuchFour published turkey injection mixes with yields, Butterball's amount by bird weight, a numbered injection-site diagram, and when to inject for the s...Read the article
A sheet pan of smoked pumpkin seeds cooling beside a carved pumpkin on a smoker side shelf, with thin wisps of smoke Smoked Pumpkin Seeds: Three Ways, Five SeasoningsThree published ways to smoke pumpkin seeds, one per cooker, with five measured seasonings, the carving-night food safety rule and how long the seeds...Read the article
Smoked cream cheese block with a crosshatch score and a dark red rub in a cast-iron pan, crackers around it Smoked Cream Cheese: 10 Rubs, the Time and the TemperatureTen rubs measured for one 8-ounce block, the 225°F method, published smoke times side by side, and how long smoked cream cheese can sit out once it l...Read the article
Smoked venison backstrap sliced on an end-grain cutting board, with a dark crust, a rosy center and a probe thermometer beside it Smoked Venison Backstrap: The Pull Temp for Every DonenessPull it at about 128°F for medium-rare and let it rest to 130°F to 135°F, or take it to USDA's 160°F for venison. One doneness table, a five-step...Read the article
Beans in chili: two bowls side by side, a beanless Texas-style red chili with cubed beef and a beef chili with kidney and pinto beans Beans in Chili: The Best Beans, the Rules and When to SkipWhich chili cook-offs ban beans and which require them, six beans compared by texture, canned versus dried, sodium and rinsing, the raw kidney bean ru...Read the article

Where to Begin

Trimming the fat cap on a beef brisketAdvanced TechniquesTrimming Beef Brisket: Learn What the Pros Know
Reverse seared steak sliced on a board Advanced TechniquesHow to Reverse Sear a Steak: The Complete Method
Sliced smoked chuck roast BeefSmoked Chuck Roast: The Poor Man’s Brisket Done Right
Competition style smoked baby back ribs PorkSmoked Baby Back Ribs: The 3-2-1 Guide
Smoked tri tip sliced against the grain RecipesSmoked Tri Tip: Brisket Flavor in a Fraction of the Time
Classic smoked turkey, dry brined Science & EducationDry Brining: How Much Salt, How Long, and Why Your Salt Brand Matters

Plan the cook

Meat smoking calculatorCut, weight, pit temperature and dinner time in. Out comes when to light the fire, when to wrap, a stall buffer, the pull temperature and the rest window.Open the tool →
Smoking times and temperatures chartEvery cut in one sortable table: smoker temperature, estimated time, the USDA safe minimum and the pitmaster pull temperature, with a download.Open the chart →
BBQ meat calculatorHow many pounds of raw meat to buy for your headcount, adjusted for the cut, the appetites and whether the meat is the main event.Open the tool →
Equilibrium brine calculatorExact salt by weight for a wet or dry brine, the volume equivalent for your salt brand, how long the brine takes to even out, and the cure limits under federal rules.Open the tool →
Steak and burger doneness chartTemperatures, colors and resting times for every level of doneness, plus the ground-beef rule that has no exceptions.Open the chart →
Thanksgiving dinner plannerThe whole meal, not one dish. Pick your menu and headcount, and it back-plans every dish across the oven, smoker, grill, flattop and stove, then builds the shopping list.Open the planner →

All 11 tools →