Meat Temperature Chart (Free Printable)

This Meat Temperature Chart is helpful when cooking all kinds of meats! It’s so important to know the Steak (Beef), Pork, Fish, and Chicken Internal Temperatures when cooking on the grill, on the stove, or even in the oven.

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Free Meat Temperature Chart

Making sure you meat is properly cooked is essential to cooking safe and delicious recipes at home. Here you will find a FREE printable with shortcuts for knowing the best cooking temperatures of Chicken, Beef, Pork, Seafood, and more!

We have compiled all the info we have garnered over the years on the perfect internal temperatures for cooking meat! This easy printable will help you when cooking beef, steak, salmon, seafood, pork, and chicken at home. Internal Temperatures are so important for keeping your family safe and your food tasting good, especially with poultry! Sit back and relax, we’ve got you covered!

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Baked Fried Chicken, or Oven Fried Chicken Breast, is so healthy, juicy, flavorful, and CRISPY! You would never guess this Baked Fried Chicken Breast is oven baked and not fried. The spice rub on this Oven Baked Fried Chicken is just like your favorite KFC Fried Chicken. SO MUCH FLAVOR! Once you try these Baked Chicken Cutlets, you'll never go back to fried chicken again.

Chicken Internal Temperature: 165F

Cooking to the correct internal temperature is important, especially with chicken. The FDA is very clear about making sure you cook chicken to 165 F to avoid salmonella poisoning.

Recommended Chicken Temps:

Type	Temperature
White Meat:	165F
Dark Meat:	170-180F
Ground Chicken:	165F

I recommend using a meat thermometer to make sure your chicken is fully cooked, but here are some extra tips to tell if it’s done:

When you cut into the chicken, the meat is opaque. Typically the meat will be white, but a little pink is okay as long as the temp is 165F. Color doesn’t necessarily equal doneness.
When you slice the chicken, the juices should run clear.
The cooked chicken meat should feel firm, not jiggly or rubbery.

Some early signs of salmonella include diarrhea, chills, fever, and abdominal pain. If you fear you have food poisoning, you should always contact a doctor for further instructions.

Here are 10 of our favorite Chicken Recipes if that sounds good for dinner!

air fried hamburger with lettuce tomato, cheese, and pickles

Internal Temperature of Ground Meat (such as burgers, meatballs, or meatloaf): 160-165F

When cooking any ground beef for recipes such as burgers, meatloaf, or meatballs, it is recommended that you cook to a minimum of 160F. While it is safe to eat beef and pork at lower temperatures, ground meat for burgers, meatballs, and meatloaf is safer (and tastier) when cooked to the recommended temperatures below.

Recommended Ground Meat Temps:

Type	Temperature
Ground Beef:	160F
Ground Pork:	160F
Ground Chicken:	165F
Ground Turkey:	165F

A medium-rare burger would be cooked to 145F if that’s what you prefer, but its safest to cook closer to 160-165F for ground meats. When meat is ground up, most of it is surface area, which exposes more of it to bacteria. So cooking it to a higher temp is recommended in order to kill all potential bacteria.

If you’re working with ground poultry (chicken or turkey), as outlined above, they should be cooked to a minimum of 165F.

QUICK TIP: When cooking with ground beef, remove from the stovetop or oven about 5 degrees under your desired internal temperature. That will help keep your recipe juicy and tender.

Here are 10 of our favorite recipes with ground meat!

Internal Temperature for Pork (Pork Tenderloin, Ham, or Pulled Pork): 145-205F

Pork is pretty straightforward and self explanatory when dealing with internal temperatures. The safe minimum temp for pork is 145F, and it rarely needs to be cooked more than that.

Recommended Pork Temps:

Type	Temperature
Pork Chops, Pork Tenderloin, Ham:	145F
Ground Pork:	160F
Pulled Pork:	205F
Pre-cooked Ham:	165F

Pork is often overcooked, making it seem like it’s a more difficult meat to cook correctly. But it’s totally possible to get juicy, well-cooked pork! Just watch your temps carefully and remove from the heat about 3-5 degrees under your desired temp of 145F, then let it rest.

Here are 8 of our favorite Pork Recipes:

Garlic Butter Salmon is a simple and healthy dish you'll want to be making all summer long! This easy grilled salmon recipe is one of the best and most flavorful. The garlic lemon butter salmon is so light and tasty, and it is just perfect paired with our grilled lemon butter asparagus!

Internal Temperature for Salmon and Seafood: 125-145F

You’re probably going to get conflicting opinions on the perfect internal temperature for salmon, fish, and seafood. The safe minimum internal temp for salmon and fish is 145F, but it is safe to cook it a bit less.

Recommended Seafood Temps:

Type	Temperature
Salmon and Fish:	125-145F
Seafood (Lobster, Crab, Shrimp, etc):	Cook until opaque

I prefer to cook salmon around 130-135F. Salmon cooked to an internal temperature of 125F is safe to eat and is considered “medium rare”. You’ll get tender, flakey fish while being fully cooked!

All fish follows the same rules as salmon. Other seafood, like lobster, crab, scallops, or shrimp, has less specific rules. You really just need to cook these foods until they become opaque, rather than checking the temp.

QUICK TIP: When testing the internal temperature of salmon, be sure you’re taking the temp at the thickest part of the fillet. Remove from the heat when the fish reads about 2 degrees under your desired temperature as it will continue to cook.

Here are our 10 Favorite Salmon Recipes:

Peppercorn Skillet Steak with Brandy Cream Sauce on a plate cut to show medium rare interior

Internal Temperatures for Steak: 125-160F

I’ve saved the best for last, STEAK! If we go to a fancy restaurant, you better believe I’m going to order the Steak Filet, Medium or Medium Rare, every single time. I just love a perfectly cooked steak. There’s nothing better!

It’s generally recommend to cook beef steaks to a minimum temp of 140F (medium rare). But people like their steaks done at different temps, so there is definitely a range here. Keep your instant read meat thermometer handy!

Recommended Steak Temps:

Doneness	Temperature
Rare:	130-135F
Medium-Rare:	140F
Medium:	150-155F
Well-Done:	160-165F

Here are some of our favorite Steak Recipes:

All that’s left is to leave you with a simple and perfect way to grill steak every time. I hope this guide to meat internal temperatures helped, and be sure to print off the FREE printable meat temp chart to keep in your kitchen for easy access. We are so glad you’re here. Enjoy!

Click HERE to get your free printable Meat Temperature Guide for Cooking!

How to Grill the Perfect Steak

A nice juicy steak is one of the best grill recipes for summer! Learn the basics of how to grill a steak to perfection.

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Total Time 35 minutes

Servings

Calories 470kcal

Author Becky Hardin – The Cookie Rookie

Equipment

1 Instant Read Meat Thermometer

Ingredients

4 steaks

Instructions

Trim excess fat from the steak (but leave a little bit for flavor)
Let the steak sit at room temperature for at least 20 minutes before cooking
Prepare the grill and heat up about 30 minutes before cooking
Pat away extra moisture from the steak, and then season to your liking
Sear steaks until they lift without sticking to the grates
Turn your steaks over once and continue cooking
Use meat thermometer to check internal temperatures. A medium-rare steak should heat to about 140 F. Medium will be closer to 155 F and Well Done should be at a temperature of 165 F.
Remove the steaks from the grill when the thermometer reads about 5 degrees lower than you want it (the meat will continue cooking after removed from the grill).
Let the steaks cool briefly before serving