Meat Temperature Guide: Safe Internal Temps for Every Protein

A thermometer is the only reliable way to know meat is safe and cooked the way you want it. The USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) reports that even when hamburgers look fully cooked, one in four may not be safely cooked (FSIS: Doneness Versus Safety). This meat temperature guide gives the safe minimums, how to take a reading, doneness and smoking targets, and what to expect from carryover and the stall.

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Safe internal temperatures by protein

These are FSIS’s minimum internal temperatures, measured with a food thermometer before the food comes off the heat (FSIS safe temperature chart). Cooks may choose higher temperatures for texture; FSIS gives no lower safe figure.

Color does not tell you the meat is safe. FSIS says ground beef can turn brown before it reaches a safe temperature, and that safely cooked poultry can be white, pink or tan; a hamburger at 160°F is safe regardless of color (FSIS: The Color of Meat and Poultry). Likewise, a pink color at the right temperature is not a sign of undercooking.

How to take an accurate reading

FSIS says most food thermometers read within 2 to 4°F, but only if they are in the right place. Put the tip in the thickest part of the food, away from bone, fat and gristle; for thin foods, insert it through the side until it reaches the center. Check each piece, because pieces reach temperature at different times, and check large or irregular cuts such as a roast in several places (FSIS: Food Thermometers).

Calibrate with ice water, which FSIS calls best for most thermometers; how to calibrate a meat thermometer has the steps. FSIS also says not to leave a thermometer in food while it cooks unless the maker states it is designed for that, and to wash it with hot, soapy water.

Beef doneness guide

Doneness is about texture and juiciness, not safety. FSIS puts the safe minimum for steaks and roasts at 145°F with a 3-minute rest, and says cooks may go higher for the doneness they want. The lower targets below are common cook preferences, not USDA figures, and cooking to them is a choice to go under the USDA minimum.

Ground beef is different: bacteria can be mixed all the way through, so FSIS requires 160°F regardless of how it looks.

Pork and lamb

Whole cuts of pork, lamb, veal and beef share one FSIS minimum, 145°F with a 3-minute rest, and ground meat needs 160°F. Pork that is slightly pink at 145°F is not undercooked; FSIS says doneness and safety cannot be judged by color.

Fish and seafood

FSIS gives one number for fish and shellfish: 145°F. Fish overcooks quickly, so a thermometer helps even when you are not chasing the minimum; the flesh should be opaque and flake with a fork.

Many cooks serve salmon, tuna and scallops well below 145°F. Those targets are a risk choice, and I could not find a primary source that sets a lower safe figure, so this guide does not list one.

Low-and-slow: smoking temperatures

FSIS says to keep the air temperature in a smoker or covered grill between 225 and 300°F and to use two thermometers, one for the smoker and one for the food. It also says to thaw meat completely before smoking, and that cooking time depends on many factors, so go by temperature (FSIS: Smoking Meat and Poultry).

The tenderness targets are cook convention, not safety rules. I left out time-per-hour ranges because they vary too much with cooker, cut and temperature to be useful.

The stall

Large cuts such as brisket and pork shoulder often stop rising for hours somewhere between 150 and 170°F. Prof. Greg Blonder’s tests for AmazingRibs found the cause is evaporative cooling from the meat’s own moisture, not fat or collagen melting, and that hotter cooking shortens it, in some cases to no stall at all as you approach 300°F (AmazingRibs: What causes the BBQ stall).

Wrapping in foil stops the evaporation and gets the meat through the stall faster. Take wrapped meat to its target before unwrapping, because the temperature can drop after unwrapping as the surface starts evaporating again.

Carryover cooking and the 3-minute rest

Carryover is the rise in temperature after meat leaves the heat. How much depends on how hot you cooked and how thick the cut is: AmazingRibs gives up to 20°F for a roast cooked at 350°F against about 5°F at 225°F, and notes a seared 1½-inch steak can climb from 130°F to 145°F while it sits for 10 minutes tented in foil (AmazingRibs: Carryover Cooking).

Two cautions. Thin cuts have little carryover, so pulling early gains you nothing. And for safety, FSIS measures the minimum before the food comes off the heat, with the 3-minute rest as part of the standard for whole cuts, so pulling a cut below its minimum on the assumption that carryover will finish it is a deliberate departure from the USDA figure.

Common mistakes

Judging by color. FSIS found 21 percent of people relied on color and grill marks to judge a burger; color is not an indicator of safety.

Measuring near bone, fat or gristle. Put the tip in the thickest part, clear of all three.

Checking one spot. Check each piece and check a large roast in several places; for a whole bird use the innermost thigh and wing and the thickest part of the breast.

Using a slow thermometer on thin cuts. A dial instant-read takes 15 to 20 seconds and averages along the probe, so for thin foods use a thermocouple or thermistor or insert from the side.

Panicking at the stall. A plateau between 150 and 170°F in a large cut is normal.

See my meat thermometer buying guide for how thermometers compare across the category.

How This Guide Was Put Together

The safe temperatures, color guidance, thermometer placement and types, and smoker advice come from FSIS pages linked above. The stall and carryover explanations come from AmazingRibs articles, which report Prof. Blonder’s experiments. The doneness and tenderness targets are common cook practice rather than regulation, and are labeled that way.

One thing I could not establish is a lower safe temperature for rare steak, salmon or tuna from a primary source. FSIS gives one set of minimums, so that is what the guide uses.

Related guides

Frequently Asked Questions

What temperature should chicken be cooked to?

All poultry, including breasts, thighs, wings, whole birds and ground chicken, must reach 165°F as measured with a food thermometer. FSIS says safely cooked poultry can look white, pink or tan, so color is no guide. Check the thickest part of the breast and the innermost thigh.

Is 145°F really safe for pork?

Yes. FSIS sets 145°F with a 3-minute rest for whole cuts of pork, the same as beef, veal and lamb steaks, chops and roasts. A slight pink color at that temperature is normal. Ground pork is different and needs 160°F.

Can I tell if meat is done by its color?

No. FSIS says color and firmness are not reliable indicators of safety. Ground beef can brown before it reaches a safe temperature, and safely cooked poultry or pork can stay pink. A food thermometer in the thickest part is the only reliable check.

What is carryover cooking and how much does temperature rise?

Carryover is the rise in internal temperature after meat leaves the heat. AmazingRibs puts it at up to 20°F for a roast cooked at 350°F and about 5°F at 225°F, with little rise in thin cuts. Cooking temperature and thickness decide how much.

What is the stall in smoking and why does it happen?

The stall is a plateau, usually between 150 and 170°F, when a large cut stops rising for hours. Blonder’s tests found it is evaporative cooling from the meat’s moisture. It is normal. Wrapping in foil stops the evaporation and shortens it.

Do I need to rest meat after cooking?

For whole cuts of beef, pork, veal and lamb, yes: FSIS makes a rest of at least 3 minutes part of the safe minimum. Beyond that, how long to rest is preference, and a seared steak that sits tented for 10 minutes can climb about 15°F.

Put the numbers to work: take a reading in the thickest part, compare it with the tables above, and if you are choosing a thermometer, start with my meat thermometer buying guide.

About Glenn

I'm Glenn, and I started Kitchenware Compare to cut through conflicting product reviews and help readers pick kitchen gear with confidence. I don't own or test the products I write about — these guides are built from verified-purchase reviews, manufacturer specifications, and independent testing where it exists, with the reasoning shown, not just a rating.