Food-safety disclaimer
Not food-safety advice. The calculator estimates time and pellets, not doneness.
Use a food thermometer. Color, juice, and a PelletDeck hour estimate do not tell you if meat is safe to eat. For official safe minimum internal temperatures, use USDA sources such as the FSIS safe temperature chart.
USDA published minimums that people most often need:
- Poultry, including ground chicken and turkey: 165 F
- Ground meats (beef, pork, lamb): 160 F
- Steaks, chops, and roasts of beef, pork, lamb, or veal: 145 F plus a 3-minute rest
- Fish: 145 F
Brisket and pork shoulder are often cooked well past those numbers for texture. That is a tenderness choice after you have already passed the safety line. It is not a PelletDeck rule.
The calculator will not stop you from pulling meat early or leaving it in too long. Read the methodology if you want to see how hours are guessed.