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BBQ recipes, grilling tips, and smoker secrets — delivered to your inbox.
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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
Grill fire safety: NFPA tracks 6,500 home grill fires and $27.6 million in property loss every year. Here are seven five-minute checks before the first cook.
The brisket cost Memorial Day weekend will run is $5.17/lb wholesale per USDA — $8-$10 retail. A 12-lb packer runs $100-$125 this weekend.
The Weber Santa Maria grill: two sizes, $899 and $1,299, 750+ sq in over a firebrick cookbox. Unveiled at Memphis in May 2026, ships 2027.
Smoked party ribs cook in 2 hours, not 6 — pitmasters cut each rib off the rack before smoking. Here’s the smoked party ribs method, the timing, and the rub-and-glaze plan.
National BBQ Day 2026 falls on Friday, May 16. The seven ways pitmasters actually observe the day — plus the deal-and-event calendar through Memorial Day.
Match the wood to the cut, not the brand. The pitmaster’s wood-meat pairing matrix — hickory, post oak, apple, cherry, pecan, mesquite, maple, alder — by cut.
Lumber Jack wins price. Knotty Wood wins regional flavor. CookinPellets wins consistency. Tested side-by-side on a 14-hour brisket — which brand wins for your cook style.
Pit Boss wins on cubic inches, hopper, and searing. Traeger wins on app, support, and ecosystem. The 2026 head-to-head pitmasters actually use to decide.
Smokefire wins searing crust and crown. Ironwood wins overnight reliability and app polish. The 2026 head-to-head — by cook style, not by spec sheet.
More than 20 pitmasters compete for the 2026 Rib King NYC crown on May 23. The lineup, the format, the wood choices, and what to watch for at Brooklyn Navy Yard.
A whole watermelon, salt-cured and smoked for 8 hours, comes off the grill looking nearly identical to a glazed Christmas ham. The recipe that goes viral every time.
Reverse sear works on thin steaks (1–1.5 inches) — just smoke cooler, sear hotter, and pull earlier. The full step-by-step that gives wall-to-wall pink without the overcook.
