There are many ways to check for doneness and your mileage may vary, but becoming proficient at doneness is a key to cooking success. Timing helps, but with all of the variability of cooking systems, you must rely on your own tests of doneness.
Subjective
- Jiggled brisket should jiggle like jello when done.
- Pork and lamb shoulder blade bones should pull out easily when done.
- If you can shred pork, chicken or mutton when doing a slow cook, it’s done.
- If you can pierce brisket or large slow cooked meat with the handle of a wooden spoon or a (gloved) finger, it’s done.
- Ribs should bend an break when done.
- The meat on ribs should shrink when done. ¼ - ½ inches for baby back ribs, ½ - 1 inches for spare ribs and 1 - 1½ inches for beef back ribs.
- Fish, such as salmon, should flake when pressed with a finger when done.
- Potatoes, onions and similar vegetables can be tested with a skewer. They can also be squeezed.
- Finger test of meat doneness is to use your finger to press a steak to check for doneness. Compare to the firmness of the flesh below your thumb on the palm of your hand. The flesh changes firmness from raw - open hand, well-done - thumb on pinkie, medium - thumb on ring finger, medium-rare - thumb on middle finger, rare - thumb on index finger. Photos are on a Simply Recipes web page about it.
Temperature
Doneness | Internal Temp | Type of Meat |
---|---|---|
Rare (beef, lamb) | 120°-125°F | Reverse-seared steaks and tri-tip, prime rib, beef tenderloin |
Medium-rare (beef, lamb) | 130°-135°F | Reverse-seared steaks and tri-tip, prime rib, beef tenderloin |
Medium (seafood) | 140°-145°F | Fish, shellfish |
Medium (beef, lamb, pork) | 145°-150°F | Beef, pork loin, chops, tenderloin, leg and rack of lamb |
Medium (ground meat) | 160°F | Hamburgers, sausage, bratwurst, pork roast pork |
Medium | 165°F | Chicken, turkey, duck, ground poultry (poultry, pork ribs) |
Medium-well | 170°-180°F | Chicken, turkey, duck, goose, pork ribs (poultry, pork) |
Well | 195°-205°F | Brisket, pork or lamb shoulder, any meat you plan to pull or shred |
References
- Project Smoke by Steven Raichlen