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Meat Cooking Time Calculator
Estimates oven roasting time for a joint or whole bird from its weight with published minutes-per-pound rules (BBC Good Food for beef, lamb, pork and chicken; the USDA timetable for whole turkey) and returns the target internal temperature, the USDA safe minimum and the resting time.
When to use
You need to plan how long a roast or a whole bird of a given weight takes in a conventional oven and which internal temperature to cook it to.
Do not use when: You are cooking ground meat, stuffed or boned-and-rolled joints, sous-vide, smoked or braised meat, or a stuffed turkey (use turkey-cooking-time); times are estimates and doneness must be confirmed with a thermometer.
Formula
weight_lb = weight_kg / 0.45359; beef and lamb: minutes = weight_lb × r + r with r = 20 (rare), 22.5 (medium-rare), 25 (medium), 30 (well done); pork and fresh ham: r = 35; whole chicken: r = 20; whole turkey 8–24 lb: linear interpolation of the USDA 163 °C timetable (8 lb 2¾ h, 12 lb 3 h, 14 lb 3¾ h, 18 lb 4¼ h, 20 lb 4½ h, 24 lb 5 h), under 8 lb r = 20; resting = 15 / 20 / 30 min for < 2 kg / 2–4 kg / > 4 kg; °F = °C × 9/5 + 32
Minutes-per-pound rules (BBC Good Food quotes them per 450 g) assume a conventional oven at 180 °C, fridge-cold meat and an unstuffed joint; shape, bone and oven accuracy change the time by ±15 %, so cook to temperature rather than time. Targets: beef and lamb rare 52 °C, medium-rare 57 °C, medium 63 °C, well done 71 °C; USDA safe minimum 63 °C (145 °F) with a 3-minute rest for whole cuts of beef, lamb and pork, 74 °C (165 °F) for poultry.
Inputs
| Parameter | Type | Unit | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
meat | enum: beef | lamb | pork | chicken_whole | turkey_whole | ham_fresh | yes | Type of joint or bird; pork, ham and poultry are always cooked through to the USDA safe temperature. | |
weight_kg | number | kg | yes | Weight of the joint or bird in kilograms (1 lb = 0.4536 kg); whole turkeys are covered from 8 to 24 lb (3.6–10.9 kg) by the USDA timetable. Range: > 0, ≤ 15 |
doneness | enum: rare | medium_rare | medium | well_done | default medium | Target doneness for beef and lamb; ignored for pork, ham and poultry, which are always cooked to the safe temperature. | |
oven_temperature_c | number | °C | default 180 | Conventional oven setting; the timing rules assume 180 °C (356 °F) for joints and chicken and 163 °C (325 °F) for turkey, and are not rescaled for other settings. Range: ≥ 140, ≤ 250 |
Outputs
| Output | Type | Unit | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
cooking_time_minutes | number | min | Estimated total roasting time. |
cooking_time_text | string | Cooking time in hours and minutes. | |
resting_time_minutes | number | min | Rest before carving: 15 min under 2 kg, 20 min for 2–4 kg, 30 min above 4 kg. |
target_internal_temperature_c | number | °C | Thermometer reading at which to remove the meat from the oven (thickest part, away from bone). |
target_internal_temperature_f | number | °F | Same in Fahrenheit. |
usda_safe_minimum_c | number | °C | USDA FSIS safe minimum internal temperature for this meat (whole cuts of beef, lamb and pork 63 °C plus a 3-minute rest; poultry 74 °C). |
usda_safe_minimum_f | number | °F | Same in Fahrenheit (145 °F or 165 °F). |
weight_lb | number | lb | Weight in pounds used by the timing rule. |
oven_temperature_f | number | °F | oven_temperature_c in Fahrenheit. |
method_note | string | The rule applied, the reference oven temperature and the thermometer instruction. |
Example
1.5 kg beef, medium, 180 °C: {"meat":"beef","weight_kg":1.5,"doneness":"medium","oven_temperature_c":180} → {"cooking_time_minutes":108,"cooking_time_text":"1 h 48 min","target_internal_temperature_c":63,"target_internal_temperature_f":145,"usda_safe_minimum_c":63,"resting_time_minutes":15,"oven_temperature_f":356}
2 kg whole chicken: {"meat":"chicken_whole","weight_kg":2} → {"cooking_time_minutes":108,"cooking_time_text":"1 h 48 min","target_internal_temperature_c":74,"target_internal_temperature_f":165,"resting_time_minutes":20}
GET https://tttkmbb.com/api/v1/calculate/meat-cooking-time?meat=beef&weight_kg=1.5&doneness=medium&oven_temperature_c=180
Machine access
- API:
GET https://tttkmbb.com/api/v1/calculate/meat-cooking-time(query parameters) orPOSTwith a JSON body{"inputs": {...}} - Schema: https://tttkmbb.com/api/v1/calculators/meat-cooking-time · Markdown: https://tttkmbb.com/food/meat-cooking-time.md · JSON definition: https://tttkmbb.com/food/meat-cooking-time.json
- MCP: server
https://tttkmbb.com/mcp, toolrun_calculator with calculator_id="meat-cooking-time" - OpenAPI operationId:
estimate_roasting_time - Freshness:
static. Authentication: none. Rate limit: fair use (see rate limits).
Sources
FAQ
Is rare beef safe?
The USDA recommends 63 °C (145 °F) plus a 3-minute rest for whole cuts; rare (52 °C) and medium-rare (57 °C) are common chef's targets but carry a higher food-safety risk, especially for pregnant, elderly or immunocompromised diners.
Why is pork cooked to 63 °C and not 71 °C?
Since 2011 the USDA safe minimum for whole cuts of pork is 145 °F (63 °C) with a 3-minute rest, which leaves the centre slightly pink; the traditional well-done 71 °C (160 °F) still applies to ground pork.
Do the times change at a different oven temperature?
Yes, but not proportionally, and the published rules are only defined at 180 °C (turkey 163 °C); a 20 °C hotter oven shortens the time by roughly 10–15 %. Use a thermometer and start checking early.
Related calculators
- Turkey Cooking Time Calculator — USDA timetable for stuffed and unstuffed turkey with thawing times.
- Oven Temperature Converter — Convert the oven setting to Fahrenheit, gas mark or fan oven.
- Brine Calculator — Brine the joint or bird before roasting.