Question 1

Where does the weather data come from?

Accepted Answer

Pitmaster Tools uses the Open-Meteo API as the primary forecast source. If Open-Meteo is unavailable or returns malformed data, the worker fails over to the US National Weather Service (api.weather.gov). Both sources are airport-grade — they don't see your specific yard's microclimate. The day's confidence label drops from high to medium to low as the forecast horizon grows.

Question 2

How is the 0-100 score calculated?

Accepted Answer

We start at 100 and subtract penalties for five weather signals: precipitation (probability × accumulation, up to 50 points), wind / gusts (scaled by cooker sensitivity, up to 30 points after the coefficient), cold mornings (below 40 °F low, up to 20 points), hot afternoons (above 85 °F high, up to 25 points), and stall risk for stall-sensitive cuts (wet-bulb-driven, up to 20 points). The remaining score lands in one of four bands: red (under 50), yellow (50-69), green (70-84), or ideal (85+).

Question 3

What is wet-bulb temperature and why does it matter?

Accepted Answer

Wet-bulb temperature is the lowest temperature evaporation can cool a wet surface down to. It's a function of air temperature and humidity. For a low-and-slow cook, the meat's surface evaporates moisture and is cooled by it — this is the source of the stall plateau around 150-165 °F. We compute the wet-bulb inside the cooker cavity using the Stull 2011 closed-form formula and adjust it for the cooker's baseline RH (offset is dry, electric is humid). Higher cavity wet-bulb means a longer stall.

Question 4

Why does cooker type affect the score?

Accepted Answer

Different cookers respond differently to weather. An offset stick burner's fire is exposed to wind and shifts pit temperature with every gust — we apply a 1.5× wind sensitivity coefficient. An electric smoker doesn't notice wind at all (0.1×). A kamado is well-insulated but holds high humidity (25% RH baseline) so its stall pattern is different from an offset's (4% RH baseline). The score weighs both effects.

Question 5

Is the score the same for every cut?

Accepted Answer

No. The stall-risk penalty only applies to stall-sensitive cuts: brisket flat, brisket packer, pork butt, spare ribs, baby back ribs, and lamb shoulder. Quick cuts like chicken thighs, spatchcock chicken, fish, or pork loin don't sit in the stall band long enough for evaporative cooling to dominate, so the same humid day scores worse for brisket than it does for chicken.

Question 6

How accurate is the forecast?

Accepted Answer

We pull from professional-grade sources, but every forecast carries uncertainty that grows with the horizon. The day index gets a confidence label — high for the next 24-48 hours, dropping to medium and then low further out. Treat the day-5 through day-7 end of the window as a planning signal, not a commitment. Also: the airport-grade forecast doesn't model your yard's trees, structures, or elevation. Step outside before lighting the fire.

Best Smoke Days — Methodology

Data sources

The five scoring signals

The four bands

Confidence labels

Open-source guarantees