How to tell when meat on the grill is done: time, thickness and when you need a thermometer

The guests are at the table, the coals are glowing and the steak smells wonderful. You look at it and think what everyone thinks: what is it like inside?

That is really two questions. The first is about taste: did it turn out the way you like it? The second is about safety: is it OK to eat? The answers are different, and they change with the meat. Let's go through it without scare stories.

Why can a steak be pink but a burger can't?

Because it matters where the bacteria are. The UK Food Standards Agency puts it simply. On a whole cut of meat, harmful bacteria stay on the surface, so strong heat on the outside kills them, and the steak can stay pink inside. When meat is ground, the surface gets mixed into the middle and the bacteria end up everywhere. That is why a burger should be cooked through.

Poultry and pork are also special: they can have bacteria all the way through the meat, not just on the outside.

What temperature is safe for meat?

These are the minimum internal temperatures from the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), measured with a food thermometer:

As you can see, by this chart a rare steak falls short of 145 °F. This is where advice differs. The UK agency allows whole cuts to be served pink as long as the outside is well seared. So a steak that is pink inside is a choice you should know about, not a mistake. On poultry, pork and ground meat, both agencies agree that they need to reach a safe temperature, and the UK agency advises checking that no pink is left inside.

Can you judge doneness by eye?

Partly. For burgers, poultry and pork, the UK agency advises cutting into the thickest part and checking that no pink meat is left, the juices run clear and it is steaming hot.

But the USDA warns that doneness and safety can't be judged by color. Ground meat can stay pink even when safely cooked, and well-cooked poultry can be pink too. It also works the other way: the USDA cites a study in which burgers turned brown well before the safe 160 °F. So color is no full guarantee.

For a steak, visual signs work well for getting the taste you want. For poultry and ground meat, they are better than nothing but not as good as a thermometer.

Do you need a thermometer for grilling?

It depends on what you are cooking.

• A steak from a whole cut. You can get by with time for its thickness and signs of doneness. A thermometer helps you hit the doneness you want more exactly.
• Poultry, pork, ground meat. A thermometer is the most reliable check. Insert it in the thickest part, avoiding the bone, as the UK agency advises.
• Thick cuts. The thicker the meat, the easier it is to overcook the outside and undercook the inside, so a thermometer is useful here too.

You are not alone if you don't own one. In a survey of 1,024 Americans who grill outdoors, only 25.6% used a thermometer.

Why does grilling time depend on thickness, not weight?

Because heat travels from the surface to the center. A piece twice as thick has twice as far to go to the middle, even if it weighs the same. So measure the thickest part.

The time is always an estimate: the grill, the wind and the temperature of the meat all change it. We put together a sample chart separately: steak grilling times by thickness.

Does meat really need to rest?

Here comes a surprise. Cooking advice usually says to let meat stand so the juices stay inside. But a 2025 study compared beef roasts with no rest and with 8 and 13 minutes of rest. Without resting, more juice ran out during slicing, while with resting it ran out during the rest. The total loss turned out to be similar, and no difference in eating quality was found.

This is one study, and it looked at roasts rather than steaks on a grill. Still, it is a reminder that not every kitchen truth has been tested.

For safety, it is a different story. The USDA asks for 3 minutes' rest for steaks and chops as part of its standard. And in a lab study of patties, at lower temperatures a longer rest killed more E. coli. That is no reason to undercook a burger, but it is a reason not to rush.

Is grilling bad for you?

Let's look at the facts calmly. According to the US National Cancer Institute, high heat and open flames produce substances in meat that are being studied for possible effects on health. Studies in people have not established a definite link with cancer: some find one, others don't. You can reduce these substances in simple ways:

• avoid direct contact between the meat and the flame;
• turn the meat often;
• cut off charred parts.

There is also a separate question: how much meat to eat. The WHO notes that red meat has been classified as Group 2A, "probably carcinogenic to humans", and processed meat as Group 1, "carcinogenic to humans". This classification is about the meat itself, not just grilling, and the original assessment reached no conclusion on whether a safe level exists.

What are the most common grilling mistakes?

The same survey found two common habits that go against safety advice:

• Washing meat before grilling. 63% of respondents did this, although it isn't recommended. The US CDC says plainly that raw chicken doesn't need washing, because germs can end up in the sink and around it.
• Using the same tongs for flipping and serving. Only 22% washed their utensils after turning the meat. Dirty tongs can carry bacteria onto cooked food. Keep separate utensils for raw and cooked.

The USDA also reminds us of the basics: wash hands and surfaces, keep raw meat apart from other food, and refrigerate food promptly.

Where Sizzle comes in

Sizzle is ours, so we will say that plainly. It is an iPhone app: you pick the dish and its thickness, and it tells you the time, when to flip and when to take it off, shows simple signs of doneness and helps you serve the whole dinner hot at once.

The times in Sizzle are estimates. The app doesn't measure temperature and doesn't replace checking the meat. Always cook poultry, pork and ground meat properly, and if in doubt, check with a thermometer.

Sources

1. USDA FSIS. Safe Minimum Internal Temperature Chart, 2025.
2. USDA FSIS. The Color of Meat and Poultry.
3. Food Standards Agency. Cooking your food, 2017.
4. Food Standards Agency. Burgers, 2017.
5. Terry T. et al. Self-reported food handling behaviors of U.S. consumers while grilling poultry and meat. Foods, 2025.
6. Prieto N. et al. Effect of resting time on beef roast moisture retention and palatability. Meat Science, 2025.
7. Li K.-W. et al. A comparison study of quality attributes of ground beef and veal patties and thermal inactivation of Escherichia coli O157:H7. Foods, 2017.
8. USDA FSIS. Color of Cooked Ground Beef as It Relates to Doneness.
9. CDC. Chicken and Food Poisoning.
10. WHO. Cancer: carcinogenicity of the consumption of red meat and processed meat.
11. National Cancer Institute. Chemicals in Meat Cooked at High Temperatures and Cancer Risk, 2017.

Temperatures are from the USDA; requirements may differ between countries. Reviewed on 3 November 2026.