Some say that the challenge to getting the cooking time correct is that it’s a lot harder to control the temperature of most outdoor barbecues and smokers than your kitchen oven. Figuring out how long it takes to cook something outdoors may be more of an art than a science, but when you embrace the fun of experimenting with grilling techniques, harnessing time and temperature can reward you with great food. Dare we say, better steaks, ribs, and smoked meats are sold in many restaurants for less than half the cost. Chefs in restaurants generally do one thing very well, and that is consistently using temperature thermometers to ensure that while cooking times will vary, the internal safe food temperature is achieved before anything gets served. It’s a great lesson that we hope everyone uses to remove the guesswork out of grilling.
POLL: Which cooking situation is worse to you? (CLICK HERE TO SUBMIT YOUR ANSWER)
1. Standing in the dining room and announcing that the pork butt is still not ready while all of the potatoes, beans, and side dishes cooked inside are getting past their prime serving time, and are going to get overcooked.
2. Pulling meat out of your smoker an hour before everything else is ready.
Several things can change the cooking time of a recipe. The variables include:
- Maintaining a consistent cooking temperature for long periods of time
- Adjusting for various types of meat
- Temperature of the meat at the start
- Cooking method
- Thickness of the meat
- Weather and ambient air temp
- Altitude and humidity
- Spritzing or basting
- Water pans
- The accuracy of your digital thermometer
Let’s review those variables in deeper depth.
COOKING TEMPERATURE
The temperature of the cooker is crucial. The hotter you cook the sooner it will be done. Measure the temp at the cooking surface a few inches away from the cool air bubble surrounding the meat. Get your temp probe down at the grate level where the food is, especially if the heat source very close to the food. Be aware that a lid thermometer is in the middle of the grill so it is reading an average of the left and right side, but if you are using a 2-zone cooking setup, and you should be, then the temp in each zone, on each side, can be drastically different. Click here to learn more about our thermometer buying guide.
**NOTE: Don’t miss reading about our NEW thermometer Staff Pick for 2025 - introducing the RFX by ThermoWorks.
TYPE OF MEAT
Some foods, especially tough cuts like ribs, brisket, shoulder (a.k.a. chuck), and rump get tougher at high heats, and more tender at low heats. So, the cut of meat is an important factor. Study each recipe to learn which cut is tough and which is tender, and be aware of its recommended cooking temps, but be prepared to adjust your time expectations as you watch your phone for temperature updates.
COOKING METHOD
Grilling directly over the flame will cook the meat faster than if the meat is alongside the flame because radiant heat delivers more energy than convection heat. Wrapping a pork butt in foil will cook much faster but it will soften your bark, and sometimes go past done into mushy. Using thick wide cast iron grill grates will speed the cooking slightly because they absorb and conduct heat more efficiently than air, so it is critical to insert your temp probe in the center of the meat.
THE THICKNESS OF THE MEAT
The thickness of the meat determines how long it takes to cook, not the weight, although the weight is often related to the thickness. That’s because meat is done when it reaches the desired temp in the center. It’s that simple. The time it takes for it to reach the safe cooking temperature is determined by the distance from the outside to the center since heat must travel through the meat to get there. Just like driving, the time it takes depends on the distance you are traveling. Weight is only useful when comparing two identical cuts from different-sized proteins. Because a pork butt is a specific cut from one hog to the next, if one weighs more than another it will be the same shape but thicker. It is the thickness that matters most here, not the weight. Heat needs time to penetrate the distance from the outside of the meat, regardless of the length, which is why we flip the meat during a cook.
TEMPERATURE OF THE MEAT AT THE START
Are you cooking from frozen? If so, pre-heat your barbecue and monitor the internal temp closely. Or, stick to the best culinary practice of taking the freshly thawed meat right out of the fridge and understand the temp of that fridge, because there is a difference between 4.4°C/40°F & 0.55°C/33°F.
WEATHER AND AMBIENT AIR TEMP
Another factor is the ambient air temp outside the cooker. Cold air will cool the air coming in through the combustion air vents and cool the coals or gas jets. Hot air will have the opposite effect. Wind and rain really cool the exterior of the cooker and can wreak havoc with your plans. To overcome them, you will need more charcoal or more gas & more time. If you are not prepared for these variables, dinner will be late. Practice for these eventualities by calibrating yourself and your cooker.
HUMIDITY
If you are cooking hot and fast, humidity has little impact. But if you are cooking low and slow, at 107°C/225°F as often recommended, and targeting a high finishing temp, such as 96°C/205°F as some prefer for pulled pork and Texas brisket, then as the air around your food warms it, moisture begins to evaporate. This evaporation can cool the food and cause it to stall. Meat can get stuck at a temp, usually in the 66°C/150°F to 77°C/170°F internal temp range, and stay there for as long as six hours! If you’re not ready for this you better be ready to order Chinese carryout.
A lot of cooks like to spritz their low and slow meats with apple juice or vinegar or some other concoction. This attracts smoke, but it also cools the meat. If you spritz a lot, cooking time will increase. The flavour compounds in the juice are measured in parts per million, so few that they will make no major impact on the meat. Certainly not in comparison to the power of a rub or sauce.
If you use an electric smoker, things cook faster because there is no combustion, and as a result, there is less airflow through the cooking chamber. That means less evaporation which means less cooling. Of course, you also don’t get the same flavour as comes from using wood, charcoal, or a gas smoker.
The natural humidity of the weather is a factor in cooking time for low and slow cooks. The lower the ambient humidity, the more moisture will evaporate from your meat and the slower the cook. But you can boost the humidity and reduce evaporative cooling by putting water pans inside the cooker.
Another technique is wrapping large tough cuts in foil after smoking for a few hours, a trick called the Texas Crutch. Cooking time depends strongly on humidity, temperature, and time as a unit. For example, with pork shoulder, if the humidity is high and you cook at 107°C/225°F, the meat might be tender in about 13 hours even though the internal meat temp is only 85°C/185°F. On the other hand, if you wrap the meat in foil at 63°C/145°F, then cook at 135°C/275°F, the meat needs may need to reach 89°C/192°F to be tender. But it might be done in 10 hours. Conversion of collagen takes time and temp and humidity which can be traded off against each other. Some muscle groups within a pork butt will be tender at 82°C/180°F, while others would benefit from 90.5°C/195°F or more.
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There are other things that influence humidity. Cold -1°C/30°F air is usually drier than 21°C/70°F air, so there can be more evaporation in cold air. That’s why low-humidity air quickly dries clothes and how freeze-drying works. Wind is also a factor. Cold days are often windier, drawing humid air out of the cooker through the chimney, so the meat and water pan evaporate faster. On cold days your flame has to be hotter to keep the cooker temp up unless you have a super insulated cooker. That can dry the air out. Unless you put a pan right above the flame, then it will create more humidity in the cooker (not steam, unless the flames actually touch the pan). If your smoker is not well insulated, as the moisture in the air may condense on the colder, drier meat. It’s like mopping all the time, and that cools the meat further.
THERMOMETERS
Last but not least, your meal is ready when the meat hits your target temp. Only very experienced pitmasters can tell by touch, so don’t try it. And you cannot tell by colour or when the juices run clear. Get a good digital meat thermometer and eliminate the guesswork. No sense in wasting money on overcooked food, plucking undercooked food off your guest’s plates, or stroking their hair as they pray to the porcelain god of undercooked food. Just avoid the embarrassment by using a thermometer. They work inside the kitchen oven too so get one for your spouse and learn together.
ALTITUDE
Air pressure is lower at higher altitudes (the column of air pushing down on the food surface is shorter). The boiling point goes down about -16°C/2°F for every 1,000 feet above sea level.
DID YOU KNOW? Calgary is 3,428 ft above sea level. Toronto is only 249 ft above sea level.
Altitude reduces the amount of oxygen available to your fire. Air pressure impacts boiling temps, but it does not impact melting temps of fats, collagens, and sugars. As you go up in altitude food and cooking surfaces cool faster and conduct heat slower because evaporation occurs at lower temps and evaporation cools things. Since boiling temp is lower at higher altitudes, we advise you to take the cooker temp from 107°C/225°F down to 102°C/216°F to help preserve moisture. This could mean longer cooking times.
DONE TOO SOON?
For long low-and-slow cooks, start early. If your turkey is done 30 minutes before the dinner bell, you can hold it on your cooker at 68°C/155°F in a beer cooler or wrap it in a Meat Swaddle.
FINAL THOUGHTS:
Cooking times can be unpredictable due to various factors, from temperature control and meat thickness to weather conditions and altitude. While grilling and smoking may seem like an art, using a high-quality thermometer and understanding how these elements interact can make your cooking more consistent and stress-free. Always plan ahead, monitor temperatures closely, and be prepared for unexpected stalls. With the right approach, you’ll master the balance of time and temperature, creating delicious, perfectly cooked meals every time.
Happy Grilling!