When it is done
Internal meat temperature guide
A cheat sheet for cooking meat, poultry, seafood and the rest to a safe internal temperature, and to the doneness you want. Use a fast probe thermometer, and remember the meat keeps cooking once it is off the heat. Allow for the increase.
Beef and steak
Lamb
Poultry
Pork
Everything else
The one tool
Digital Meat Thermometer
The team's ultra-fast manual probe. Every recipe on this site is written to a number on it.
Straight answers
Temperature questions
What internal temperature is pork safe at?
63°C with a three-minute rest. Pulled pork and ribs are cooked far past that, to 90°C to 95°C, because that is where the collagen breaks down and the meat pulls.
What internal temperature is chicken done at?
74°C at the thickest part, away from the bone. Thighs and wings are better at 80°C or a little over; the extra heat renders the fat.
What internal temperature for medium-rare steak?
54°C to 57°C after resting. Pull it from the heat at about 50°C to 52°C, because it keeps climbing as it rests.
Why does the meat keep cooking after it comes off?
The outside is hotter than the centre, and heat keeps moving inward while it rests. Carry-over is three to five degrees on a steak and more on a roast, so pull early and rest it.
Do I need a thermometer?
Yes. Time is a guess; temperature is the answer. A fast-read probe is the one tool the team says every barbecue needs.