The Right Temperature for 20 Kinds of Meat and Poultry

Some people like their burgers rare or medium-rare, but food safety advocates stress that this simply isn’t safe, though the risk is reduced if you grind your own beef shortly before cooking or buy it from a trusted local source. Some experts believe that 155º is a safe internal temperature for ground beef, but most authorities agree on 160º. Either, though, will result in well-done meat. If you’re living dangerously, 140º will yield medium, 130º medium-rare.

Government agencies recommend only one temperature for cooking whole pieces of meat, failing to mention that an internal temperature of 145º equates to medium-well. Since the warnings about not eating rare ground meat don’t apply to steaks, chops, and roasts, bear in mind that 135º to 140º means medium, 130º to 135º is medium-rare, and 125º plus a three-minute rest period after cooking will give you rare.

As chicken is particularly susceptible to bacterial contamination, it should be cooked to higher temperatures than red meat. While the USDA counsels 165º for ground chicken, testers in the Food Network Kitchen have found that 170º to 175º is preferable.

There is little disagreement among experts that this is the correct internal temperature for whole chicken.

As with chicken, a temperature of 165º is considered standard for cooking whole ducks, though because duck is not a common carrier of salmonella and its dark red meat resembles that of beef or lamb more than chicken, some cooks roast it to a few degrees less. (Duck breasts cooked separately may be brought to a lower temperature; see below.)

Goose is not a common meat on American tables these days, but when it is, the whole bird should be roasted to a temperature of 165º. (See below for goose breast.)

Though Foodsafety.gov gives 140º as the ideal temperature when reheating a ham that’s already cooked, the USDA specifies that this applies only to those packaged in USDA-inspected plants (some ham is repackaged outside USDA supervision and may be contaminated with pathogens). If there is a question as to where the ham was packaged, it should be brought to 165º.

Whether smoked or fresh, any uncooked ham should be baked or roasted to 145º, then allowed to rest for a few minutes before serving.

As with ground beef, 160º is the preferred safe cooking temperature for ground lamb. Also as with ground beef, though, some sources believe that 155º is a safe internal temperature, while, if you’re living dangerously, you’ll want to stop it at 140º for medium, 130º for medium-rare.

As with beef, this recommended temperature will result in medium-well meat. If you like your lamb rosy or beyond, figure 135º to 140º for medium, 130º to 135º for medium-rare, and 125º plus a three-minute rest period after cooking for rare.

Chicken breasts should probably be cooked to an internal temperature of 165º for safety, though Michelin three-star British chef Heston Blumenthal cooks his to about 150º. Commercially raised goose, like duck, is not as likely to be contaminated with bacteria as chicken, and the flesh is more like that of red meat than fowl. Some cooks prefer duck breast pink, which means at 130º to 135º (which is commonly how restaurants serve it). Goose breast will stay pink and juicy up to 140º to 150º.

This temperature is commonly accepted as correct for chicken, duck, or goose legs.

This temperature is standard for chicken, duck, or goose thighs, though the Food Network Kitchen extends the range to between 165º and 175º.

As with other poultry parts, the USDA prefers wings to be cooked to 165º. Wings have so little meat on them, however, that it’s hard to know where to stick the thermometer without hitting bone — and in any case, they’re so small compared to other poultry parts that by the time they’re well-browned on the outside they’re almost surely cooked through.

Ground pork, like any other ground meat, is at more risk of developing bacteria than whole-muscle cuts like chops and roasts, so it should be brought to 160º.

For years, the USDA told consumers to cook whole-muscle pork cuts to a temperature of 160º, but in 2011, after several studies proved that there was minimal danger in cooking the meat to 145º, they issued new guidelines resulting in the current recommendation.

Though turkey may not be contaminated with bacteria as often as chicken is, the ground meat should still be cooked to 165º — and according to the Food Network Kitchen, 170º to 175º is preferable.

These big birds really should be cooked to 165º, even if that means that the white meat dries out by the time the dark meat is cooked through. (This situation will be familiar to anyone who’s ever had a traditional American Thanksgiving dinner — but that’s what the gravy’s for.)

Ground veal should follow the same rules that ground beef does — 160º for well-done (and safest), 140º for medium, 130º for medium-rare.

The same rules apply here as for beef: 135º to 140º for medium, 130º to 135º for medium-rare, and — though diners don’t usually eat veal quite as rare as beef, 125º plus a three-minute rest period after cooking for rare.