Meat Doneness Temperatures: A Simple Chart

The number that matters is the one in the center of the meat, and it is almost never the number you would guess by poking it. A steak that feels done on the outside can still be raw in the middle, and a chicken thigh that looks done at 155 F is not safe yet.

An instant-read thermometer settles every argument in 3 seconds. Here are the temperatures worth memorizing, and the one trick that keeps you from overshooting them.

The chart

Two numbers matter for each cut: the pull temp (when to take it off) and the final temp (where it lands after resting). Meat keeps cooking after it leaves the grill, so you always pull a few degrees early.

Print that, tape it inside a cabinet, and you have solved most of what goes wrong at the grill.

Why you pull the meat early

Food does not stop cooking when it leaves the heat. The outer layers keep driving heat toward the center, and the internal temperature climbs another 3 to 10 F while it rests. This is carryover cooking.

A thick steak carries over more (5 to 10 F); a thin chicken breast carries over less (2 to 5 F). If you wait until the thermometer reads your final target before pulling, you sail past it. Pull about 5 F early and let the rest do the work.

Rest steaks and chops 5 minutes, and rest a roast or pork shoulder 15 to 30 minutes. The pause also lets the juices settle back into the fibers instead of running out on the cutting board.

The beef numbers, and a note on safety

For a whole steak or roast, medium-rare at 130 to 133 F is the target most people are chasing, and it is where a ribeye or strip tastes best. The USDA lists 145 F with a 3-minute rest as its safe minimum for whole cuts, which lands at medium.

The gap exists because bacteria on a whole muscle live on the surface, and a hot sear well past 145 F handles them. Ground beef is different: grinding mixes any surface bacteria throughout, so burgers need a true 160 F. That is not negotiable the way steak doneness is.

Chicken: breast and thigh want different numbers

White meat and dark meat are not the same cook. Breast meat dries out fast, so you pull it at 160 F and let carryover carry it to the safe 165 F.

Thighs and legs are full of connective tissue that only breaks down higher up, around 175 to 185 F. Take a thigh to 165 F and it is safe but rubbery; take it to 180 F and it turns tender and juicy. Higher is genuinely better for dark meat, which surprises people.

Pork and fish, quickly

Modern pork is safe at 145 F with a 3-minute rest, a change from the old 160 F rule. That leaves a chop faintly pink and actually juicy instead of chalky. Ground pork still needs 160 F.

Ribs and pork shoulder are the exception to the whole chart: they are "done" at 200 to 203 F, far past any safety line, because that is where the tough collagen melts into gelatin and the meat pulls apart. For fish, 125 F gives you a moist, just-firm salmon, while the USDA-firm 145 F is drier but flakes fully.