Six animals. Every primal. One set of facts.
Tap a region on the diagram and get what it is, how tender it runs, how to cook it, the USDA safe temperature, the pitmaster finish, the wood, and the recipe. All six animals render from the same records.
Beef
LiveMeat from full-grown cattle about two years old. The tough, hard-working primals (chuck, brisket, round, shank) want low and slow; the middle meats (rib, short loin, sirloin) want dry heat.
9 regions. USDA minimum 145 F plus a 3 minutes before carving or consuming.
Pork
LivePork is classed as red meat. Since 2011 USDA's whole-muscle minimum is 145 F with a 3 minute rest, and safely cooked pork can still be pink. The shoulder is the most forgiving barbecue cut there is.
7 regions. USDA minimum 145 F plus a 3 minutes before carving or consuming.
Lamb
LiveLamb is a sheep under about a year old; older animals are mutton. Rack and loin are tender dry-heat cuts. Shoulder, shank and breast are collagen cuts that reward low and slow.
7 regions. USDA minimum 145 F plus a 3 minutes before carving or consuming.
Goat
LiveGoat is red meat, very lean, and cut like lamb. FSIS notes a goat carcass rarely has enough fat to protect it from drying, which is why gentle heat and moisture matter more than with any other animal here.
7 regions. USDA minimum 145 F plus a 3 minutes before carving or consuming.
Chicken
LiveEvery part of a chicken, including ground chicken and stuffing, is safe at 165 F, checked in the innermost thigh and wing and the thickest breast. No rest is required by USDA. Pink meat near the bone can persist at 165 F, especially on smoked young birds, and is not a sign of danger.
6 regions. USDA minimum 165 F.
Salmon
LiveUSDA FSIS and FDA both put fish at 145 F, or until the flesh is opaque and separates easily with a fork. Salmon cooks fast, does not stall, and is the one Pit Log animal where the delicate flavour argues for the mildest woods.
6 regions. USDA minimum 145 F.
Safe temperature first. Finish temperature second.
USDA FSIS sets the floor. Barbecue cooks past it on purpose, because collagen needs time and heat. The two numbers are never the same number, and no page here mixes them.
145 F (62.8 C), then rest at least 3 minutes before carving or consuming
Steaks, chops and roasts (whole muscle). Food thermometer in the thickest part, away from bone, fat and gristle, read before removing from the heat source. This is a food safety floor, not a preference. Where any other number on this page is lower, this one governs.
165 F (73.9 C)
Breasts, whole bird, legs, thighs, wings, ground poultry, giblets and stuffing. For a whole bird, check the innermost part of the thigh and wing and the thickest part of the breast. This is a food safety floor, not a preference. Where any other number on this page is lower, this one governs.
145 F (62.8 C)
Fish and shellfish. Thermometer in the thickest part of the fillet; or the flesh is opaque and separates easily with a fork. This is a food safety floor, not a preference. Where any other number on this page is lower, this one governs.
160 F (71.1 C)
Ground meat, burgers, sausage mixtures, meat loaf, and organ or variety meats. Food thermometer through the side of a patty to the centre. This is a food safety floor, not a preference. Where any other number on this page is lower, this one governs.
The full temperature chart has all eight USDA rows, the handling rules and every doneness scale.
Every cut page ends at the log
Pick the cut, cook it, write down what happened. The next one is better.