Meat doneness chart: the temperatures that actually matter
Two numbers are worth knowing for any piece of meat: the temperature it should be when it reaches the plate, and the temperature at which it should leave the heat. This meat doneness chart gives both, for beef, lamb, pork, veal, ham, chicken, turkey, duck, fish, shellfish, egg dishes and leftovers, in °F or °C. The chef-style figures are the final internal temperatures restaurants cook to; the USDA/FSIS safe minimum temperatures are listed separately on every row, so you can see exactly where a medium-rare steak or a pink duck breast stands relative to the official guidance.
Carry-over cooking is the part most charts leave out. Meat keeps cooking after it comes off the heat because the hot outer layers continue to push heat inward: a steak rises about 5 °F (3 °C) while it rests, a large roast 10–15 °F (5–8 °C). The chart subtracts that rise and shows a pull temperature for each doneness, together with a resting time that lets the juices settle and the temperature even out.
The whole chart prints on one sheet or downloads as a vector PDF (A4 or Letter) for the fridge door. It is informational guidance for home cooks; it is not professional food-safety advice, and people at higher risk should follow the USDA minimums.
How to use the Meat Doneness Temperature Chart
- Choose the Meat and the Doneness you want. The big number is the final internal temperature after resting.
- Read the pull temperature beneath it — take the meat off the heat when a probe in the thickest part reads this — plus the expected carry-over rise and resting time.
- Compare with the USDA safe minimum shown alongside. Choices below it are flagged.
- Switch between °F and °C at any time; every figure in the tables converts.
- Open Full chart to see every meat at once, then Print or Download PDF for a kitchen card.
Meat Doneness Temperature Chart features
Chef-style and USDA side by side
Rare, medium-rare, medium, medium-well and well done for red meat; juicy versus safe-minimum poultry; chef temperatures for salmon and tuna — each next to the official FSIS figure.
Pull temperature and carry-over
Every doneness shows the temperature to remove the meat at, using a 5 °F rise for steaks and chops, 10 °F for roasts, 3 °F for fish and shellfish.
Resting times
From two minutes for fish to half an hour for a prime rib or pork shoulder.
Sixteen categories, 44 rows
Steaks, roasts, ground meat, lamb, pork chops and slow-cooked shoulder, ham, veal, chicken and turkey, ground poultry, duck, fish, shellfish, egg dishes and leftovers.
°F and °C
Fahrenheit values are the source (USDA publishes in °F); Celsius is rounded to the nearest degree.
Printable card and PDF
A print layout that hides the rest of the page, and a one- or two-page vector PDF built in your browser at true A4 or Letter size.
USDA safe minimum internal temperatures
The US Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service publishes these minimums for home cooking. They are the temperatures at which the food is safe immediately (or after the stated rest), regardless of how long it was held there.
| Food | Minimum | Rest |
|---|---|---|
| Beef, pork, lamb, veal — steaks, chops, roasts | 145 °F (63 °C) | 3 minutes |
| Ground beef, pork, lamb, veal | 160 °F (71 °C) | none |
| All poultry, including ground | 165 °F (74 °C) | none |
| Fish and shellfish | 145 °F (63 °C) | none |
| Egg dishes | 160 °F (71 °C) | none |
| Leftovers and casseroles | 165 °F (74 °C) | none |
| Fresh ham (raw) | 145 °F (63 °C) | 3 minutes |
Why chefs cook below the minimum — and when not to
Pasteurisation depends on time as well as temperature. A chicken breast held at 150 °F (65.6 °C) for about three and a half minutes at the core is as safe as one that touched 165 °F for an instant — which is how restaurants serve juicy chicken and why the sous vide calculator gives longer times at lower temperatures. The USDA figures are chosen so that no timing is needed. Whole-muscle beef and lamb are different again: bacteria live on the surface, which searing sterilises, so a rare interior is a low-risk choice that has been served for centuries. Ground meat, poultry and anyone pregnant, elderly, very young or immunocompromised are the cases where the minimums should be followed as written.
- Use an instant-read probe in the thickest part, away from bone and fat; check two spots on large roasts and whole birds (thigh and breast).
- Rest on a board, loosely tented — tight foil traps steam and keeps cooking the meat.
- For ovens and grills set in the other scale, the temperature converter handles °F ↔ °C, and the countdown timer keeps track of the rest.
Meat Doneness Temperature Chart FAQ
What internal temperature is medium-rare steak?
130–135 °F (54–57 °C) after resting. Pull a steak from the pan or grill at 125–130 °F (52–54 °C) and rest it 5–10 minutes; it will rise about 5 °F. The USDA minimum for whole beef is 145 °F with a 3-minute rest.
What temperature should chicken be cooked to?
The USDA minimum is 165 °F (74 °C) everywhere, with no rest required. Chefs often pull breast at 150–155 °F and rest it to about 160 °F for juicier meat, accepting that this relies on holding time for safety; thighs taste better at 175 °F or more.
Is pork safe at 145 °F?
Yes. The USDA lowered the minimum for whole pork cuts from 160 °F to 145 °F (63 °C) with a 3-minute rest in 2011. A slightly pink centre at that temperature is normal. Ground pork still needs 160 °F.
How much does meat temperature rise while resting?
Thin steaks and chops rise about 5 °F (3 °C); roasts and whole birds 10–15 °F (5–8 °C), more if they came from a very hot oven. Fish rises 3–5 °F. The chart’s pull temperatures already subtract these amounts.
Why does the chart show a “below USDA minimum” warning?
Because chef-style doneness for rare and medium-rare red meat, pink duck breast, medium-rare salmon and rare tuna sits below the official safe minimum. The warning marks the choice as a personal one rather than hiding the difference.
Can I print the doneness chart?
Yes. Press Print for a one-page layout that hides the rest of the page, or Download PDF for a vector A4 or Letter card in the units you have selected. Both are generated in your browser.