Three numbers. Never the same number.

A safe temperature, a preferred doneness, and a tenderness target are three different things. This page keeps them apart. USDA FSIS wins every conflict.

Safe minimum internal temperatures

Read with a food thermometer before the food leaves the heat. Colour is not doneness. These are the federal figures, quoted from the FSIS chart with the date we read it.

What the thermometer cannot tell you

• 01

  The danger zone

  Bacteria grow fastest between 40 F and 140 F, doubling in as little as 20 minutes. Never leave food out of refrigeration more than 2 hours, or 1 hour when the air is above 90 F. Hold hot food at or above 140 F and cold food at or below 40 F.

  At the pit: A finished brisket held in a cooler must stay at or above 140 F. If it drops below 140 F, the 2 hour clock is running. Log the hold temperature, not just the hold time.

• 02

  Two thermometers

  Smoke with two thermometers: one for the air in the smoker, one for the food. Keep the smoker air between 225 and 300 F throughout the cook. Use a food thermometer to decide when the meat is done, never the clock.

  At the pit: This is the FSIS basis for the app's pit temp and internal temp fields being separate. The 225 to 300 F band is the FSIS safety recommendation for a smoker; craft pit temps below 225 F (some salmon and cold-smoke practice) fall outside it and must say so.

• 03

  Where the probe goes

  Insert the thermometer into the thickest part of the food, not touching bone, fat or gristle. For thin foods insert through the side. Check large or irregular pieces in several places. For a whole bird check the innermost thigh and wing and the thickest part of the breast.

  At the pit: Brisket: probe the thickest part of the flat, not the point. Ribs: between bones, not touching. Whole chicken: thigh, then breast.

• 04

  Colour is not doneness

  Appearance and colour are not reliable indicators of safety or doneness. A burger can be brown and unsafe or pink and safe. Pork at 145 F can be pink. Smoked chicken can stay pink at the bone at 165 F.

  At the pit: A smoke ring is a chemical reaction with the smoke, not a doneness signal. No Pit Log surface uses colour words as a safety cue.

• 05

  The 3 minute rest is part of the 145 F rule

  For whole-muscle beef, pork, lamb, goat and veal the safety rule is 145 F AND a rest of at least 3 minutes before carving or eating. The rest is not optional and it is not the same thing as the long barbecue rest.

  At the pit: Pitmaster rests of 30 minutes to 2 hours for brisket and shoulder are craft guidance for juiciness and slicing. They exceed the 3 minute safety rest; they never replace the 145 F floor.

• 06

  Never partially cook to finish later

  Never brown or partially cook meat or poultry, refrigerate it, and finish later. Bacteria present would not have been destroyed. Partially cooking immediately before transferring to a hot grill is fine.

  At the pit: A cook split across two days (smoke today, finish tomorrow) is not a Pit Log method. Sous-vide-then-sear in one session is.

• 07

  Thaw and marinate in the refrigerator

  Thaw in the refrigerator, in cold water changed every 30 minutes, or in the microwave; never on the counter. Thaw before smoking. Marinate in the refrigerator (beef, pork and lamb up to 5 days; cubes 2 days). Boil used marinade before brushing it on cooked meat, or discard it. Do not cook frozen meat in a slow cooker.

  At the pit: Brine and injection notes in a cook log follow the same rule: fridge only.

• 08

  Sauce in the last 15 to 30 minutes

  If using a sauce, apply it during the last 15 to 30 minutes of smoking to prevent excess browning or burning.

  At the pit: This is the FSIS line behind every Pit Log sauce recipe's 'glaze at the end' step. Sugar burns; it is a quality rule stated by a safety agency.

• 09

  Chill within 2 hours of leaving the smoker

  Refrigerate meat and poultry within 2 hours of removing it from a smoker. Cut into smaller portions, use shallow covered containers, use within 4 days or freeze. Reheat leftovers to 165 F.

  At the pit: The app's 'off' timestamp starts this clock. A hold above 140 F pauses it; a hold below 140 F does not.

Where the tough cuts turn tender

These sit 40 to 60 degrees above the safety floor. They are barbecue craft. Where an industry body publishes a figure we show it, even when it disagrees with the backyard number. The finish test decides, not the digits.

Doneness, with the minimum printed beside it

The Beef Board and the American Lamb Board publish scales that start at the USDA minimum. Steakhouse convention runs lower. Both are here. Every figure under the minimum is flagged.

Now pick the cut

Every number here lives on its cut page too, next to the woods, the mistakes and the recipes. Start with beef, or see which wood to burn.