What it looks like
Color on a steak after a rest. Set bark before a wrap. The rib rack that arcs 90°.
Pull a few degrees early. Carryover on a thick steak is about 5°F. Color is a clue after a rest, not on the fire.
Blue · pull 110°F
Cold red center. Sear only. Rarely what you want.
Rare · pull 120°F
Cool red center, soft. Rest 5–8.
Medium-rare · pull 128°F
Warm red, the steakhouse default. Rest 8–10.
Medium · pull 138°F
Pink, firmer. Rest 8–10.
Medium-well · pull 148°F
A hint of pink. Rest 5–8. Fat still helps.
Modern pork is safe at 145°F after a rest. Shoulder and ribs still want 195°F+ so collagen melts.
Chops / loin · pull 140°F
Blush in the center after rest. 160°F is the dry era.
Tenderloin · pull 140°F
Same blush. It overcooks in minutes.
Ribs · bend, ~195°F
Lift from the center. 90° with a crack in the bark.
Shoulder · pull 203°F
Blade twists free. Tenderness, not the number.
Breast and thigh are different muscles. One number for the whole bird is how you dry a breast or undercook a leg.
Breast · pull 157°F
Rests to 165. Juicy if you stop on time.
Thigh / leg · 175–185°F
Collagen. 165 here is safe and still chewy.
Wings · 185°F
Skin crisp, joint gives.
Duck breast · 130°F
A steak. Render the skin. Not chicken.
Dried, seasoned surface plus smoke and Maillard. Tacky-firm, not soggy, not carbon.
Wet
First hours. Looks shiny. Leave it. Do not spritz yet.
Tacky
A finger comes away clean, a little grab. Smoke is hanging.
Set
Dark, firm, does not smear. This is wrap time if you wrap.
Pale
Not set. More time unwrapped. Stop spraying.
Bitter black
Sugar burned or dirty smoke. Tent, clean the fire, no more sugar.
The thermometer is a clue. The rack is done when it tells you.
Stiff
Picks up as a board. Not ready.
Gentle arc
Starting. Give it more time.
90° from the center
Bark cracks. Bones loosen. Pull. This is the picture.
Floppy
Falling off. Overcooked. Still edible. Not a rib anymore.
Collagen cuts are done when a probe slides like warm butter. The number is a neighborhood.
Pushback
Like a raw steak. Wait.
Thick clay
The stall neighborhood. Still wait.
Warm butter
200–205°F on brisket and shoulder, often. Pull.
Soup
Past it. Still serve. Next time, pull earlier.
Restaurant service is a rest that lasts. The meat is off the fire and still not sliced.
Board rest
Steaks, chops, 5–15 minutes, loosely tented.
Cooler
Wrapped, dry cooler, towels. A packer holds 2–4 hours. No ice.
150°F oven
Still wrapped. The overnight-to-noon move. Do not crank it.
Cambro / hot box
Service. Same idea as the oven, more control.