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Three quick-reference tools every cook bookmarks — target temps, pull temps, and how long leftovers keep.
| 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 →Reader Favorites
Memorial Day brisket math, in one table: 1/2 lb cooked per adult, 1/4 lb per child, +20% safety. Plus the raw-weight conversion, ribs/pork/chicken/tri-tip portions, and the buy-by-May-20 timeline.
Swicy — sweet plus spicy — is the dominant 2026 BBQ flavor trend. Three sauces define it: Honey-Habanero glaze, Pineapple-Chipotle BBQ sauce, and Hot Honey + Bourbon mop. The chiles, the sweets, the acid — and how to build your own.
The Ugly Drum Smoker is having its biggest year since 2018. Why 2026 BBQ trend forecasts all flag drum smokers as the surprise comeback — simpler than offsets, more flavor than pellets, 12+ hour burns on a single fuel load, and as cheap as $120 DIY.
A great Memorial Day brisket isn’t a single 14-hour cook — it’s 30 days of preparation that starts today. Order your brisket, book your fuel, run two practice cooks. The day-by-day calendar pitmasters use to deliver flawless brisket on the holiday.
Five months of winter does strange things to a smoker. The 7-step startup that takes 90 minutes — gaskets, ash-out, grease flush, probe calibration, fuel check, paint touch-ups, and a 90-minute burn-in — that saves your first brisket of the season.
Smoked carrot steaks are the surprise plant-based BBQ entrée of 2026 — slow-cooked over hardwood until the sugars caramelize and the bark eats remarkably like brisket. Recipe with bourbon-maple glaze plus three variations.
When the game won’t end, Overtime on the Blackstone delivers fast, safe griddle food—sliders, nachos, cheesesteaks, and more.
Smoked salsa is your secret weapon snack: same bowl, zero babysitting, maximum chips disappearing while you actually watch the game. You smoke a tray of veggies once, blitz, chill, and roll into kickoff like the fearless flavor captain you are. Smoking or charring the vegetables first deepens sweetness in the tomatoes and tames the harsh…
Grilled Buffalo wings are the undisputed kings of Super Bowl wings season, and every year they dominate game-day tables across the country. On Super Bowl Sunday, the grill becomes our second screen, and nothing pulls a crowd faster than a platter stacked high with crispy grilled chicken wings, saucy and shining like a desert sunset….
Top 5 spicy pork butt rubs of 2026 — best spicy pork butt rub, Memphis Dust rub, Texas pork butt rub, pulled pork rub & spicy pork shoulder rub smoker recipes.
Confused about brining vs marinating for BBQ? Learn exactly when to brine (for juicy chicken & turkey), when to marinate (for killer bark on brisket & ribs), pro recipes, and the science behind both methods.
6 legendary mashed potato recipes from real pitmasters: smoked garlic, chile-Oaxaca, crab butter, brown butter-sage, griddle-smashed, and campfire bacon-cheddar. The ultimate BBQ side dish collection.
