Your weekly dose of fire & meat.
BBQ recipes, grilling tips, and smoker secrets — delivered to your inbox.
✓ You're in! Check your inbox to confirm.
Four independent measurements say the beer never boils, and the same standard of evidence says the safety scare is wrong too. What to do instead.
Read More →Four quick-reference tools every cook bookmarks — target temps, pull temps, and how long leftovers keep, plus the full BBQ glossary.
| Cut | Pull | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Brisket | 203°F | 12–16h |
| Spare ribs | 195–203°F | ~6h |
| Pork butt | 203°F | 12–14h |
Target temps & times for 17 cuts, sortable by meat, weight and doneness.
View full chart →| Doneness | Target |
|---|---|
| Rare | 125–130°F |
| Medium-rare | 130–135°F |
| Well-done | 160°F+ |
Rare to well-done, burger safety (160°F) and resting times.
View full chart →| Food | Fridge | Freezer |
|---|---|---|
| Brisket, ribs | 3–4 days | 2–3 mo |
| Smoked sausage | 1 week | 1–2 mo |
| Potato salad | 3–4 days | no freeze |
How long smoked meats & sides keep — fridge and freezer, USDA-based.
View full chart →Every pit term decoded — cooking methods, gear, cuts, wood, and technique, A to Z.
Open the glossary →Reader Favorites
Cubed, sauced and re-smoked chuck roast. Plus the meat-science case that chuck is not a downgrade from brisket: by measured shear force the main chuck muscles are more tender than either brisket muscle, and the eight-muscle structure of a chuck roll explains uneven cubes.
Sun-dried tomato recipes for the grill: rubs, compound butter, a smoky sun-dried tomato BBQ sauce, and how to rehydrate and make your own.
The classic sweet-and-smoky Kansas City BBQ sauce recipe, how it compares to other regional styles, and what to put it on.
How to safely can BBQ sauce with the water-bath method: acidification, step-by-step processing, altitude adjustments, and storage.
A simple small-batch homemade ketchup recipe from tomato paste or fresh garden tomatoes, plus how to can it and turn it into BBQ sauce.
A 25-minute master recipe for homemade BBQ sauce, five regional styles, and how to store, freeze, or can a big batch from your own garden tomatoes.
Santa Maria grills with crank-adjustable grates are 2026’s biggest BBQ gear shift. Why Fyr, Yoder, and Kalamazoo keep selling out, and how to pick one.
Reverse searing is the foolproof way to get an edge-to-edge pink, perfectly crusted steak. Here are the exact temps, times, and steps.
Wild game recipes turn venison, elk, and bear into meals worth the hunt. How to cook game, BBQ techniques, and the best recipes from GunsAmerica Hunt365.
Cubed pork belly smoked, braised, and glazed into meat candy — the full method with temps and glaze variations.
Santa Maria–style smoked tri tip with a reverse sear — steak tenderness, brisket flavor, two-hour cook.
An hour of gentle smoke and a butter baste turn fresh corn into the side everyone asks about.
