Chuck.
The shoulder. Hard-working, richly flavoured, full of connective tissue that rewards low and slow.
Beef chuck is done when it is probe tender, usually between 200 and 205 F. The number is a checkpoint. USDA FSIS calls beef safe at 145 F with a 3 minute rest. Tenderness comes later.
Where it comes from
USDA FSIS names chuck as one of the four major beef primals and notes it is less tender and generally needs moist heat. In barbecue that translates to smoking and braising: chuck roast cooked like a small brisket, and chuck short ribs that the Beef Board describes as flavourful, moist and tender when slow-cooked. The flat iron, cut from the top blade, is the exception: the Beef Board calls it the second most tender beef cut and it grills like a steak.
USDA FSIS primal: chuck. Nine regions, matching the Beef Board retail chart convention where the loin is shown as short loin and sirloin.
- Best methods:
- smoke, braise, grill (flat iron and Denver steak only)
- Slice:
- Across the grain. Pull rather than slice when cooked to the tenderness window.
- Rest:
- 30 to 60 minutes for a smoked roast; 5 minutes for a flat iron.
Scores are Pit Log editorial, anchored to FSIS tenderness notes.
What you will see at the counter
| Cut | Methods | Finish | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chuck roast | smoke, braise | probe tender, 200 to 205 F (craft) | Often called the poor man's brisket. Wrap around 165 F, pull probe tender. |
| Chuck short ribs | smoke, braise | probe tender, 200 to 205 F (craft) | Beef Board: tender when slow-cooked. |
| Flat iron steak | grill, sear | Your doneness, 145 F + rest USDA floor | From the top blade. Second most tender beef cut (Beef Board). Slice across the grain. |
| Denver steak | grill | Your doneness, 145 F + rest USDA floor | From the centre of the under blade; high heat (Beef Board). |
| Ground chuck | grill | 160 F (USDA) | 160 F, no exceptions. |
Safe. Then done.
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.
Source: USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service, Safe Minimum Internal Temperature Chart, page updated 2025-04-14, read 2026-09-02.
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.
Source: USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service, Safe Minimum Internal Temperature Chart, page updated 2025-04-14, read 2026-09-02.
200 to 205 F, probe tender
Chuck and short ribs follow brisket logic: pull when probe tender, commonly 200 to 205 F. The Beef Board describes chuck short ribs as tender when slow-cooked and brisket as a low-and-slow primal because it is a working muscle.
- Probe where:
- between bones on short ribs; centre of a chuck roast
- Pit:
- 250 to 275 F
- Planning time:
- chuck roast roughly 1.5 hours per pound; plate short ribs 6 to 8 hours at 250 to 275 F. Approximate.
- Stall:
- Same evaporative plateau as brisket, usually shorter.
beef industry
Steaks and roasts, final temperature after rest. Culinary preference, as published by the industry body cited below.
| Doneness | Internal temp | Vs. USDA 145 F |
|---|---|---|
| Medium rare | 145 F, rest at least 3 minutes | At or above the minimum. |
| Medium | 160 F | At or above the minimum. |
| Well done | 170 F | At or above the minimum. |
Carryover: Roasts rise 5 to 15 F after leaving the heat; allow 15 to 20 minutes standing time.
beef convention
Steaks, steakhouse and pitmaster convention, pull temperatures. Culinary preference, barbecue convention.
| Doneness | Internal temp | Vs. USDA 145 F |
|---|---|---|
| Rare | 120 to 125 F | Below the minimum. Preference, not safety. |
| Medium rare | 130 to 135 F | Below the minimum. Preference, not safety. |
| Medium | 140 to 145 F | Below the minimum. Preference, not safety. |
| Medium well | 150 to 155 F | At or above the minimum. |
| Well done | 160+ F | At or above the minimum. |
Carryover: Craft convention: 5 to 10 F rise on a steak during a 5 to 10 minute rest.
Rare, medium-rare and medium figures are culinary preference ranges that fall below the USDA FSIS safe minimum of 145 F with a 3 minute rest. USDA does not consider them safe. Where the two differ, the USDA minimum governs.
More on the beef temperature page and the full chart.
Smoke
What ruins it
- 01Pulling a chuck roast at 165 F because the safety minimum is met; it is safe but tough.
- 02Grilling chuck roast like a steak.
- 03Slicing flat iron with the grain.
Cook it
- Coffee-Chile Smoked Chuck Roast: in the test kitchen. Not published yet.
- Leave-in probe / wireless thermometerFSIS: use two thermometers, one for the pit air and one for the food. Every low-and-slow page.
- Pink butcher paperBrisket, shoulder, lamb and goat wrap. Consumable, repeat purchase.
- Slicing knife (brisket knife)Slice-against-the-grain pages: brisket, tri-tip, flank, leg of lamb.
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Then write down what happened
Pit temp, wood, wrap, final temp, rest, result. The chart says what usually works. Your log says what worked for you.