How to check your meat is cooked properly
For BBQ meat and larger cuts of turkey or chicken, use meat thermometer and make sure it reaches 75ºC.
When cooking meat it’s important to check that it is cooked thoroughly to protect yourself and others from food poisoning. Meat products that are minced or skewered along with poultry and pork products must always be cooked through to the centre. These meats include turkey, chicken, burgers, sausages and kebabs.
Use a meat thermometer to check that such meat is cooked to 75ºC. Cooking meat properly kills the bacteria that cause food poisoning.
How to use a meat thermometer
- Take your food off the heat
- For meat like sausages, burgers, pork chops or loins, slide the thermometer probe horizontally into the thickest part of the meat until it reaches the centre.
- For meat like BBQ ribs, chicken and turkey insert the probe into the thickest part of the meat away from the bone. In a whole chicken or turkey, the thickest part is between the breast and the leg.
- It is fully cooked when the temperature reaches 75ºC or over.
- Always make sure you wash the meat thermometer thoroughly after each use.
What if I don’t have a meat thermometer?
If you don’t have a meat thermometer, there are three visual checks that must be done. Pierce the thickest part of the meat with a fork or skewer and check that:
- The juices run clear
- It is piping hot all the way through (it should be steaming)
- There is no pink meat left.
Here's some advice on cooking different types of meat
