Grilling Tempretures

Approximate Internal Meat Temperatures

Type of Cooking	Cooking Tempreture		Comments

Cold Smoking	Fahrenheit	85 to 120	Used exclusively for preservation. We do not recommend for the backyard barbecue!
	Centigrade	30 to 49

Very Rare	Fahrenheit	130	Red Cool Center. Beef primarily.
	Centigrade	54

Fish Done	Fahrenheit	130 to 135	Fish will begin to flake and turn opaque. Best determined by testing fish for flaking.
	Centigrade	54 to 57

Rare	Fahrenheit	140	Red Center. This is your basic rare cut of meat suitable to steaks and lamb. Pork should not be cooked rare.
	Centigrade	60

Medium Rare	Fahrenheit	145 to 150	Red Center. Medium rare is good for all beef.
	Centigrade	63 to 66

Medium Done	Fahrenheit	155 to 160	Pink Center. Medium done temperature is good for pork, beef and lamb. Hamburgers should be cooked to 160 degrees.
	Centigrade	68 to 71

Medium Well Done	Fahrenheit	165	Light Gray Warm Center. Pork will be all white center.
	Centigrade	74

Poultry Done	Fahrenheit	165 to 170	Turkey, chicken, etc done. Check near the thigh and breast bone to verify temperature.
	Centigrade	74

Well Done	Fahrenheit	170 to 180	With beef and lamb it's done! (and dead!) Pork is just done. Hot gray center. No pink.
	Centigrade	77 to 82

Approximate Grill and Smoker Temperatures
Type of Cooking	Degrees		Comments

Barbecuing	Fahrenheit	225	Extended cooking over many hours time. Often confused with the term smoking which occurs at much lower temperatures.
	Centigrade	102

Low Grilling	Fahrenheit	300	Great for fish and vegetables or other delicate foods.
	Centigrade	150

Roasting	Fahrenheit	325	Not intended for cooking to acquire a smoke flavoring. The meat will be done before significant smoke flavor is acquired. 1 to 3 hours usually.
	Centigrade	163

Medium Hot Grilling	Fahrenheit	450 to 500	Most common grilling temperature.
	Centigrade	232 to 260

Hot Grilling	Fahrenheit	550 +	Great for mesquite cooking where wood is strongly flavored. Steaks should be cooked at around 700 degrees (385 degrees C.)
	Centigrade	288 +

Easy Degrees of Doneness

Cooking times and temperatures vary with the method of preparation used, the size and shape of the cut and the desired degree of doneness.

Degrees of Doneness
Rare 140° F
Medium Rare 150° F
Medium 160° F
Medium Well 165° F
Well 170° F

To ensure food safety in cooking hamburgers, a temperature of 160° F is recommended, or until the middle is no longer pink and the juices run clear.

Test roasts for doneness using a meat thermometer placed so the tip is in the center of the roast, not touching bone or resting in fat. Remove the meat from the oven when the thermometer registers 5-10° F lower than the desired doneness, as the temperature will rise after it comes out of the oven. A quick-read thermometer can also be used in roasts and is often used in testing steaks for doneness.

The doneness of steaks can also be checked using the "firmness to touch" method in which the steak is compared to the human hand. For rare, the steak would feel about the same as the muscle between the thumb and the index finger of the hand in a relaxed state. For medium, feel the same muscle of the hand when it is stretched out as shown in the diagram. And, for well-done firmness, feel the muscle when the hand is clenched into a fist.

Shop by Heat Levels

Our Newsletter