Meat and Poultry Temperature Guide
- Categories: Meat, Beef, Pork, Grilling
Steaks grilling over charcoal heat
This is for all of you who have been asking me about the proper cooking temperature for beef, pork and poultry. I hope this handy guide from the Food Network Kitchen will be of value to you.
Use the Food Network Kitchen’s internal temperature chart to serve perfectly cooked meat every time
Invest in a simple instant-read thermometer and take all the guesswork out of serving perfectly cooked meat. Judging doneness by look and feel can be deceiving.
Internal Temperatures when Cooking Meat:
The following table shows Food Network Kitchens’ preferred internal temperatures for beef and pork based on taste and texture. Please note that out of a concern for safety, the USDA recommends higher temperatures than we do. We have included the USDA recommendations, leaving it up to you to decide. Our rule of thumb is that if we know and trust where our meat comes from, we’re okay sticking a fork in it before the USDA says it’s done.
| USDA | Food Network Kitchens | ||||||
| Poultry | |||||||
| Whole | 165 | 165 breast 165-175 thigh | |||||
| Parts | 165 | same as above | |||||
| Stuffed | 165 | 165 | |||||
| Ground | 160 | 170-75 | |||||
| Beef and Lamb | |||||||
| Ground | 160 | 160 | |||||
| Steak | |||||||
| Rare | 125 | ||||||
| Medium rare | 145 | 130-135 | |||||
| Medium | 160 | 135-140 | |||||
| Medium well | 140-150 | ||||||
| Well done | 170 | 155+ | |||||
| Pork | |||||||
| Medium rare | 145 | ||||||
| Medium | 160 | 150 | |||||
| Well done | 170 | 160 | |||||
| Ground | 160 | 160 | |||||
Because E. Coli is killed at 155 degrees Fahrenheit, the USDA sets the minimum safe temperature for ground beef at 160 degrees Fahrenheit. We can only second this.
This temperature guide combines the USDA recommendations along with the Food Network Kitchen recommendations. When you are cooking a pig on a spit, remember the shoulder is the last part of the pig to get done. Make sure you take the temperature reading from this part of the pig. That way you can be assured your pig is done to perfection.
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