Internal Temperature Guide

Food safety, flavor, texture, preference… there are a lot of factors that play into internal temperature when you are grilling or smoking meat. Today we’re going to talk about internal temperature requirements and preferences for common types of meat.

BY: BREANNA STARK

FOOD SAFETY

First, let’s talk about food safety. Raw or undercooked meat can carry bacteria and disease, so it’s important to always cook meat to a safe temperature. Listed below are the safe minimum cooking temperatures, as provided by FoodSafety.gov:

Beef (steaks, roasts, chops) - 145F

Poultry (chicken, turkey) - 165F

Pork (fresh pork, including ham) - 145F

BRISKET

Brisket is technically safe to eat at 145F, but because of the amount of collagen and fat in a brisket, you won’t have very good results if you try to slice in at 145F. To fully render the fat and break down the collagen, brisket must be cooked to an internal temperature of 200F to 205F.

PORK SHOULDER

Pork is safe to eat at 145F, but if you’re expecting some delicious pulled pork as the result you won’t achieve it. We like to smoke our pork butts to about 200F, but a range between 195F and 205F will do just fine.

CHICKEN

Whether you’re smoking a whole chicken, chicken breasts, or just some wings, the temperature will always be the same. For food safety reasons, poultry must be cooked to an internal temperature of 165F. I don’t recommend cooking chicken past 175F because you will end up with really dry meat that is lacking flavor.

PORK RIBS

Pork must be cooked to a minimum internal temperature of 145F, but pork ribs are difficult to get an accurate temperature on because of the thickness of the meat. We generally use a 2-2-1 method when smoking pork ribs and a good way to check for doneness is to eyeball the bone on the end. If it’s sticking out about a quarter to a half of an inch from where the meat ends, that’s how you know they’re done.

BEEF RIBS

Similar to brisket, beef ribs are technically edible at 145F but I don’t recommend serving them that way. We like to smoke our beef ribs to an internal temperature of 200F to 205F for the perfect, juicy rib.

STEAKS

Steak temperature is one of the most debated topics in the food world. It feels like everyone has a different preference when it comes to the doneness of their steak. Below is a guide to steak temperatures:

Rare - 120F

Medium Rare - 130F-135F

Medium - 140F-145F

Medium-Well - 150-155F

Well-Done - 160F +

Do you have more questions about cooking temperatures? Feel free to drop me an email!