Safe Internal Meat Temperatures Using A BBQ Thermometer

A list of safe internal meat temperatures is provided by the United States Department Of Agriculture and it’s these statistics that I present below. In order to measure the internal temperature of the meat you’re cooking you will need a BBQ thermometer .

Why do you need a BBQ thermometer ? It’s really a double check when grilling but when smoking it does add another dimension because you really can tell when meat is perfectly cooked and this will prevent the food from being overcooked and drying out.

You can check that your food is cooked when it reaches the following temperatures:-

• Steaks & Roasts - 145°F (frankly I think that this is over the top and you should work to 120-125°F for rare/medium-rare or 130-135°F for medium-rare/medium)
• Fish - 145°F
• Pork - 160°F
• Ham – 170°F (unless reheating in which case 140°F)
• Ground Beef - 160°F
• Egg Dishes - 160°F
• Chicken Breasts - 165°F
• Chicken Thighs and Wings - 180°F
• Whole Poultry - 165°F
• Duck & Goose - 180°F

For those that do want to know it all, the signs and symptoms of food poisoning range from tummy ache, diarrhoea, vomiting, abdominal cramps, and in more severe cases, fever, dehydration and even death, but having said all this, please don’t be put off having another barbecue. Take the right precautions, follow the rules and barbecue food poisoning will be a thing of the past.

Related Pages:-

Barbecue Safety
Basic Food Hygiene
BBQ Thermometers

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