Meat Temperature Guide - A guide for barbecuing meat on your BBQ!

Meat Temperature Guide - How to know when your meat is cooked! 

Knowing when meat is perfectly cooked can be tricky. Not everyone is confident or knows what to feel by prodding the cooked meat to figure out how well it is or isn't cooked.

And there is nothing more diaspointing than an under or over cooked piec of steak!

So, we've compiled a guide with some common cuts, temperatures and cooking times to get you started.

Grab yourself a probe meat thermometer, check out our inLusso guide and get ready to enjoy perfectly cooked food every single time your cook!

How to use a probe meat thermometer

There are many different meat thermometers on the market ranging from about $8 for an old school dial temperature gauge to over $200 (and more!) for a digital beast.

Always insert the probe into the thickest part of the meat, avoiding the bone. You won’t get an accurate reading if the thermometer touches the bone.

Insert the probe in the thickest part of the meat and wait a minute for the thermometer to read its internal temperature.

If you're barbequing large cuts of meat, test the internal temperature in multiple parts.

The following is a guide to the internal temperature and how the protien is cooked.

R = Rare     M = Medium     W = Well Done

Beef                                                                Veal                                                        

R - 60°C                                                           R - 60°C

M - 70°C                                                           M - 70°C

W - 75°C                                                           W - 75°C

Lamb                                                               Pork

R - 60°C                                                           M - 70°C

M - 70°C                                                           W - 75°C

W - 75°C

Chicken                                                           Turkey

85°C                                                                 90°C

Fish

Fish is a little different. Three indications that fish is cooked are:

• When it easily comes away from the bone
• The flesh easily pulls apart with a fork
• And when flesh is no longer translucent and turns opaque.

Cooking Times and BBQ Temperatures Per Kilo

• Beef 45 – 55 mins per kg (approx. 180°C)

• Lamb 45 – 55 mins per kg (approx. (180°C)

• Pork 55 – 60 mins per kg (approx. 170°C)

• Veal 40 – 50 mins per kg (approx. 160°C)

• Poultry 40 – 50 mins per kg (approx. 180°C)

• Seafood 20 – 30 mins per kg (approx. 150°C)

Here are a few examples to get you going!

Note: All examples are direct flame unless indirect flame unless otherwise stated.

Sear larger cuts of meat like roasting joints in the first stages of cooking.

Beef

Steak 2.5 – 3 cm thick – 6-8 mins over direct high flame

Beef Burger 2.5 thick – 3 cm – 8 mins over medium-high flame 

Beef Roast 2 kg thick – 6 – 8 mins over direct high flame to sear, then about 1.5 hrs indirect medium flame

Lamb

Lamb Chops 2cm thick – 6-8 mins over high flame

Lamb Burgers 2.5-3 cm thick – 7-9 mins over medium-high flame

Rack of Lamb 500g – 5 mins over medium-high flame to sear then in direct medium flame

Chicken

Chicken Thighs 150g – 8-10 mins medium flame

Chicken Breast 220g – 10-12 mins medium flame

Whole Chicken 1.8 kg – 1.5 hrs indirect flame

Pork

Pork Tenderloin 500g – 500g medium-high flame

Pork Chops 2.5-3cm thick – 9-11 mins medium flame

Pork Roast 1.5kg – 5-6 mins direct flame to sear then indirect medium flame 30-40 mins

Seafood

Prawns 60g – 2-4 mins – medium-high flame

Scallops 60g – 2-4 mins medium-high flame

Whole Fish 1.2kg – 25-30 mins indirect medium-flame

Fish Fillet 2.5 – 8-10 mins high flame

If you are cooking a delicate piece of fish you can place a piece of baking paper or a silicone BBQ mat on the hot plate to avoid it sticking and the flesh tearing if you’re concerned.

For more barbequing tips and tricks download our free BBQ cookbook!

Old School Manual Probe Thermometer 

Digital Probe Thermometer