Meat Cooking Temperatures Chart Printable

meat temperature chart

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. 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!

meat temperature chart

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Meat Temperature Chart (Ground Meat, Steak, Pork, Salmon, and Chicken Internal Temperature Guide)
Chicken Internal Temperature: 165F
Internal Temperature of Ground Meat (such as burgers, meatballs, or meatloaf): 160-165F
Internal Temperature for Pork (Pork Tenderloin or Pulled Pork): 145-205F
Internal temperature for Salmon: 125-145F
Internal Temperatures for Steak: 125-160F
How to Grill the Perfect Steak
Ingredients
Instructions
Nutrition Information

Meat Temperature Chart (Ground Meat, Steak, Pork, Salmon, and Chicken Internal Temperature Guide)

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!

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. You can use a meat thermometer to make sure your chicken is fully cooked, or here are some extra tips to tell if its 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 165. 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.

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

Bacon Ranch Chicken
Oven Fried Chicken Breast Recipe (pictured)
Spinach Stuffed Chicken
Basil Cream Chicken
Buttermilk Fried Chicken
Easy Chicken Cordon Bleu
Peruvian Chicken with Green Sauce
Sheet Pan Honey Garlic Chicken
Baked Creamy Caesar Chicken
Sheet Pan Chicken Parmesan

Stovetop Burgers are easier than you might think! Once we learned How to Cook Burgers on the Stove it's our go-to easy dinner for anytime of year. Cooking Burgers on the Stove is a great way to make sure you cook a JUICY and PERFECT Stovetop Burger each and every time. Hamburgers on the Stove is the only way to cook cheeseburgers!

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, I usually prefer them cooked to a minimum of 160F. It is safe to eat beef more rare (as opposed to chicken), but I just like burgers, meatballs, and meatloaf a big more cooked than my steak. A medium rare burger would be cooked to 145F if that's what you prefer, but I think its safest to cook closer to 160-165F for ground meats. If you're working with ground chicken or turkey, just like 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!

Stovetop Burgers
Mediterranean Chicken Burgers
Perfect Turkey Burgers
Swedish Meatballs
Buffalo Chicken Meatballs
Mozzarella Stuffed Italian Meatballs
Orange Marmalade Meatballs
Cranberry Cocktail Meatballs
Chicken Cordon Bleu Meatballs
Drop Meatballs

Pork Tenderloin with Honey and Herbs is a delicious and easy recipe! This HONEY HERB PORK TENDERLOIN RECIPE will change the way you feel about cooking pork. It's tender, juicy, full of flavor, and most importantly EASY! If you've wondered How to Make Pork Tenderloin while cooking the meat to perfection, this recipe is for you. Don't you just want to bathe in that sauce?

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

Pork is pretty self explanatory when dealing with internal temperatures. The temps are as follows:

Pork Chops or Pork Tenderloins: 145F
Pulled Pork: 205F

Pork is a meat that is often overcooked…making it seem like Pork is harder to cook that is true. YOU TOO CAN COOK PERFECT AND FLAVORFUL PORK! Just watch your temps carefully and remove from the heat 3-5 degrees under your desired temp of 145F.

Here are 8 of our favorite Pork Recipes:

Pork Tenderloin with Honey and Herbs (shown)
Crockpot BBQ Pork Sandwiches
Honey Pork Chops with Pears and Bourbon
Sweet Tea Pork Tenderloin with Pimento Grits
Parmesan Pork Chops
Sangria Pork Carnitas
Apple Butter Pork Chops
Drunken Garlic Ginger Pulled Pork

PARMESAN CRUSTED WHITE WINE DIJON SALMON is our very favorite way to enjoy seafood! Salmon coated with a crispy garlic parmesan crust and drenched in an amazing white wine dijon. TO DIE FOR!

Internal temperature for Salmon: 125-145F

Okay, so salmon is a meat that you're going to get conflicting opinions on for what the ideal temperature is for the PERFECT fillet. Some resources say any seafood should be cooked to 145F, but it is safe to cook it a bit less, and I prefer my 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.

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:

Grilled Salmon with Avocado Salsa
Baked Salmon with Pesto
Pecan Crusted Honey Bourbon Salmon
Caprese Stuffed Salmon
Caesar Salmon Foil Packets
Parmesan Crusted White Wine Dijon Salmon (pictured)
Tequila Lime Salmon Salad
Lemon Butter Salmon in Parchment
Honey Mustard Crusted Salmon
Herb Crusted Salmon with Goat Cheese Polenta

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! People like their steaks cooked all different ways, and that's okay! Keep your handy meat thermometer handy (linked above) and be ready to cook to order for your friends and family. Internal temps are as follows:

Rare 130-135 F
Medium Rare 140 F
Medium 155 F
Well Done 165 F

Here are some of our favorite Steak Recipes:

Skillet Steak with Peppercorn Cream Sauce (pictured)
Seared New York Strip Steak
Steak and Vegetable Kebabs
Restaurant Style Steak with Roasted Garlic
Garlic Rosemary Steak
Steak with Sherry Sauce

All that's left is to leave you with a simple and perfect way to grill steak every time. I hope this guide helped, and be sure to print off the FREE printable at the top of the page 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!

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

▢ 4 steaks

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

Last step! Don't forget to show me a pic of what you made! Upload an image or tag me @thecookierookie on Instagram!

Calories: 470 kcal (24%) Protein: 45 g (90%) Fat: 31 g (48%) Saturated Fat: 14 g (88%) Cholesterol: 137 mg (46%) Sodium: 117 mg (5%) Potassium: 605 mg (17%) Vitamin A: 35 IU (1%) Calcium: 16 mg (2%) Iron: 3.9 mg (22%)