Safe Cooking Temperatures for Meats

Other than the flavor, the most important part of great barbecue is serving safe-to-eat food. Correct prep procedures, along with cooking meat to a minimum internal temperature, is the only true way to ensure that you and your fellow diners are enjoying the safest culinary experience.

Be sure to use a food thermometer to check whether meat has reached a safe internal temperature that is hot enough to kill harmful germs that cause food poisoning. Remember, you can’t tell whether meat is safely cooked by looking at it or touching it.

While you do want your meat cooked to a safe internal temperature, you also don’t want to overcook your meat and dry it out. Some meats can be pink in the middle even when they have reached a safe internal temperature.

The USDA recommends pork, steaks and roasts be cooked to 145°F (medium) and then rested for at least 3 minutes.

Click to view a complete guide to Meat and Poultry Roasting Charts.