Pulled pork internal temperature.
Pork shoulder pulls at roughly 195 to 205 F, and the test that settles it is the bone: when the blade bone slides out clean, the shoulder is ready, whatever the thermometer says. The National Pork Board publishes a lower figure than backyard convention does, and both are printed further down, because the gap between them is texture and not safety. USDA FSIS calls pork safe at 145 F with a rest of at least 3 minutes, and a shoulder passes that many hours before it will pull. Expect the reading to stall somewhere around 150 to 170 F and sit there for hours. That is normal, and cranking the pit to beat it is how people ruin bark.
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.
What this covers at the counter
| Cut | Methods | Finish | Notes | Guide |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boston butt (bone-in or boneless) | smoke | bone slip, 195 to 205 F (craft) | 6 to 9 lb. Bone-in holds shape and gives the bone-slip test. | Butt (Boston butt) |
| Picnic roast (arm picnic) | smoke, braise | bone slip, 195 to 205 F (craft) | Skin-on picnics: score or remove the skin so smoke and rub reach the meat. | Picnic shoulder |
| Whole shoulder (butt plus picnic) | smoke | bone slip, 195 to 205 F (craft) | Whole-hog-style cook, 14 to 20 lb. Long day. | Picnic shoulder |
Safe comes first. Tender comes later.
195 to 205 F, bone slip
For pulled pork, backyard convention finishes shoulder at 195 to 205 F when the bone slips clean and the meat shreds. The National Pork Board's own smoking table gives 185 to 190 F with the bone-slip test. Both are above the 145 F minimum; the difference is texture, and Pit Log shows both.
Bone slip: The blade bone in a pork shoulder pulls out clean with a twist (National Pork Board wording: the bone will easily slip from the meat).
Pit 225 to 275 F. National Pork Board: about 1 hour 15 minutes per pound. Backyard planning: 8 to 14 hours for an 8 lb butt at 225 to 250 F. Approximate. Rest: 1 hour minimum wrapped, held above 140 F, before pulling.
Two sources disagree: pork-board-smoking: 185-190 F, bone slips vs. convention and the previous Pit Log printable: 195-205 F. Neither is a safety figure. Print the Pork Board figure as the sourced one and the higher window as the common pulled-pork convention. Let the bone-slip test decide.
150 to 170 F
The stall is the plateau around 150 to 170 F where a large cut's internal temperature stops climbing for hours. The accepted explanation is evaporative cooling from the meat surface balancing the heat from the pit. Wrapping (the Texas crutch) stops the evaporation; waiting keeps the bark firmer.
2 to 6 hours of plateau is normal on brisket and pork shoulder.
Where the thermometer goes
Thickest part away from the blade bone. Bone throws a reading off badly on a shoulder, so take two or three in different spots. When the probe slides in with no resistance anywhere, it is done. 1 hour minimum wrapped, held above 140 F, before pulling.
- Time:
- Pork Board: about 1 hour 15 minutes per pound. 8 to 14 hours for a full butt at 225 to 250 F. Approximate.
- Rest:
- 1 hour wrapped, above 140 F, before pulling.
- Slice:
- Pull, do not slice, once at the tenderness window.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 01Panicking at the stall and cranking the pit.
- 02Pulling at the safety minimum and finding it tough.
- 03Not resting before pulling; the juice ends up on the board.
Cook it, then log it
The pork temperature page covers every cut. The butt (boston butt) cut guide has the woods, the mistakes and the recipes. Also: pork chops internal temp, pork tenderloin internal temp, pork ribs internal temp, pork belly internal temp.