Meat Temperature Guide & Doneness Chart

Under-cooked meat risks foodborne illness; over-cooked meat is dry. The fix for both is a thermometer and a target number — here's the chart you need.

Safe Minimum Temperatures

• Poultry (whole, breast, ground) — 165°F / 74°C everywhere
• Ground meat (beef, pork, lamb) — 160°F / 71°C
• Pork chops, roasts — 145°F / 63°C + 3 min rest
• Beef & lamb steaks and roasts — 145°F / 63°C minimum, then rest

Doneness Targets for Beef & Lamb

These are the pull-off-the-heat numbers. Carryover cooking adds 5–10°F while the meat rests, so pull a steak for medium-rare at about 135°F and it will finish near 140°F on the board.

Why Resting Matters

Resting lets the juices that were pushed to the center redistribute back through the meat. A steak needs only 5 minutes; a large roast can rest 10–20 minutes, tented loosely with foil. Skip the rest and you'll carve the juices onto the cutting board.

Where to Check

Insert the probe into the thickest part of the meat, away from bone and fat — bone conducts heat and gives a falsely high reading. For whole birds, check the innermost part of the thigh. When in doubt, our Meat Temperature Calculator gives the target for any meat, doneness and cut, and the Cooking Time Calculator estimates oven time by weight.