Major Wood BBQ

Tools · Time on Target

Serve-Time Planner

Tell the Major when dinner is. He'll tell you when to light the fire.

Unsupported pit temperatures snap to the nearest sensible one for that meat. The plan uses the slow end of every estimate.

Example timeline: Brisket (whole packer), 14 lb at 250°F

  1. 7:45 PM · the day before

    Light the fire

    Bring the pit to 250°F and let the smoke run clean before the meat goes on.

  2. 8:30 PM · the day before

    Meat on

    14 lb at 250°F. Plan uses the slow end of 14.0–17.5 hours.

  3. 3:30 AM · serving day

    Wrap check

    Check the bark; wrap when it's set (≈160–175°F) if you're wrapping.

  4. 10:30 AM · serving day

    Start checking for done

    Earliest likely finish. Probe for tenderness/temperature from here on.

  5. 2:00 PM · serving day

    Planned finish (latest)

    2 h of buffer is built in after this. Finished early? Wrap it, then hold in a 150–170°F oven or a towel-lined cooler. Keep it above 140°F.

  6. 4:00 PM · serving day

    Rest / hold until serving

    The plan reserves 2 h to rest or hold before slicing.

  7. 6:00 PM · serving day

    Serve

    Slice and serve.

Estimates, not promises: cook to temperature and tenderness. More detail: smoking times · when to wrap · how much meat per person.

How the planner works

It starts from your serving time and subtracts the rest, a safety buffer, and the slow end of the cook-time estimate for your meat, weight and pit temperature — then 45 minutes to light the fire and settle the smoke. Long cooks like brisket and pork butt get a bigger buffer because they hold beautifully when they finish early and ruin dinner when they finish late.

Holding: keep finished brisket or pork wrapped and above 140°F (most cooks hold around 150–170°F in an oven or an insulated cooler). Poultry should be served soon after resting. Safe minimum temperatures are from the USDA FSIS chart.

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