Cooking Time Calculator
Roasting time for beef, pork, chicken and turkey by weight and doneness from the USDA charts, plus the safe internal temperature that really decides it.
Cooking Time Calculator: with the default inputs, roasting time is 3 hours, 22 minutes.
Oven temperature is the one USDA's chart for that cut assumes. Never roast below 325 °F.
Raw weight, as bought.
Sets the target internal temperature, and picks where in the USDA time range to land. Ignored for poultry, which always goes to 165 °F.
A guide only. The thermometer decides when it is done.
- Shortest time in the USDA range
- 3 hours, 0 seconds
- Longest time in the USDA range
- 3 hours, 45 minutes
- USDA safe minimum internal temperature
- 165 °FMeasured in the thickest part, away from bone, fat and gristle.
- Your target internal temperature
- 165 °F
- Oven temperature
- 325 °F
- Rest required for safety
- None required for safety — poultry is safe the moment it reaches 165 °FUSDA's 3-minute rest applies to whole cuts of beef, pork, veal and lamb.
- Roasting plus resting
- 3 hours, 42 minutes
- Minutes per pound
- 0Zero where USDA publishes a total time for the weight band instead.
Assumptions
- Safe minimum internal temperatures are USDA FSIS figures verified on 9 September 2026: 165 °F for all poultry and stuffing, 145 °F plus a 3-minute rest for whole cuts of beef, pork, veal and lamb, 160 °F for ground meat, 165 °F for leftovers and casseroles.
- Roasting times come from the per-species FSIS charts at the oven temperature each chart assumes — 325 °F for beef and turkey, 350 °F for pork and chicken. FSIS's own note on those charts is that the times were compiled from various sources and are approximate.
- Doneness selects a position inside USDA's published time range rather than applying a multiplier; below 145 °F the target temperature is stated but does not meet the USDA safe minimum.
- Meat is assumed fully thawed and roasted uncovered in a shallow pan, starting from refrigerator temperature. Frozen or partly frozen meat takes at least 50% longer.
- Weights outside the range USDA's chart covers are scaled from the nearest published band and flagged in the results.
- Convection ovens, brining, spatchcocking and covering the pan all change the real time and are not modelled.
| Food | Minimum internal temperature |
|---|---|
| Beef, bison, veal, goat and lamb — steaks, roasts, chops | 145 °F (62.8 °C) + 3 minutes rest |
| Ground meats (beef, pork, veal, lamb) | 160 °F (71.1 °C) |
| All poultry — whole birds, parts, ground, and stuffing | 165 °F (73.9 °C) |
| Ham, fresh or smoked (uncooked) | 145 °F (62.8 °C) + 3 minutes rest |
| Fully cooked ham, to reheat | 140 °F if USDA-inspected, otherwise 165 °F |
| Eggs and egg dishes | 160 °F (71.1 °C) |
| Fish and shellfish | 145 °F (62.8 °C) |
| Leftovers and casseroles | 165 °F (73.9 °C) |
USDA FSIS Safe Minimum Internal Temperature Chart. Measure with a food thermometer before removing food from the heat.
| Weight (lb) | Shortest | Longest |
|---|---|---|
| 8 | 1 hour, 30 minutes | 3 hours, 15 minutes |
| 12 | 2 hours, 45 minutes | 3 hours, 0 seconds |
| 14 | 3 hours, 0 seconds | 3 hours, 45 minutes |
| 18 | 3 hours, 45 minutes | 4 hours, 15 minutes |
| 20 | 4 hours, 15 minutes | 4 hours, 30 minutes |
| 24 | 4 hours, 30 minutes | 5 hours, 0 seconds |
FSIS — Let's Talk Turkey (325 °F oven)
How this is worked out
The formula
Per-pound cuts (beef, pork): time = weight in pounds × minutes per pound Whole birds (chicken, turkey): time = the total time USDA publishes for that weight band Doneness selects where inside USDA's published time range to land — it does not apply a multiplier of its own. USDA safe minimum internal temperatures: 145 °F + 3 min rest — beef, pork, veal, lamb steaks, chops and roasts; uncooked ham 160 °F — ground meats; egg dishes 165 °F — all poultry, stuffing, leftovers and casseroles 145 °F — fish and shellfish Oven temperature for roasting must never be below 325 °F.
Open How it’s calculated above to see this worked through with your own numbers.
What you enter
- What are you roasting?
- Oven temperature is the one USDA's chart for that cut assumes. Never roast below 325 °F.Beef rib roast, bone-in — 325 °F oven · Beef rib roast, boneless rolled — 325 °F oven · Beef round or rump roast — 325 °F oven · Pork loin roast, bone-in or boneless — 350 °F oven · Pork shoulder / Boston butt — 350 °F oven · Fresh ham, half leg — 350 °F oven · Whole chicken — 350 °F oven · Turkey, unstuffed — 325 °F oven · Turkey, stuffed — 325 °F oven
- Weight
- Raw weight, as bought.in lb, oz, kg, g · from 0.1 to 60 · defaults to 14
- Doneness (whole-muscle red meat only)
- Sets the target internal temperature, and picks where in the USDA time range to land. Ignored for poultry, which always goes to 165 °F.Rare — 125 °F · Medium rare — 135 °F · Medium — 145 °F (USDA safe minimum) · Medium well — 150 °F · Well done — 160 °F
- Rest before carving(under More options)
- USDA requires 3 minutes for safety on whole cuts of beef, pork, veal and lamb. Longer rests are about juiciness, not safety — 20 minutes is usual for a turkey.from 0 to 120 · whole numbers only · defaults to 20
What you get back
- Roasting timemain answer
- A guide only. The thermometer decides when it is done.
- Shortest time in the USDA range
- Longest time in the USDA range
- USDA safe minimum internal temperature
- Measured in the thickest part, away from bone, fat and gristle.
- Your target internal temperature
- Oven temperature
- Rest required for safety
- USDA's 3-minute rest applies to whole cuts of beef, pork, veal and lamb.
- Roasting plus resting
- Minutes per pound
- Zero where USDA publishes a total time for the weight band instead.
What this assumes
- Safe minimum internal temperatures are USDA FSIS figures verified on 9 September 2026: 165 °F for all poultry and stuffing, 145 °F plus a 3-minute rest for whole cuts of beef, pork, veal and lamb, 160 °F for ground meat, 165 °F for leftovers and casseroles.
- Roasting times come from the per-species FSIS charts at the oven temperature each chart assumes — 325 °F for beef and turkey, 350 °F for pork and chicken. FSIS's own note on those charts is that the times were compiled from various sources and are approximate.
- Doneness selects a position inside USDA's published time range rather than applying a multiplier; below 145 °F the target temperature is stated but does not meet the USDA safe minimum.
- Meat is assumed fully thawed and roasted uncovered in a shallow pan, starting from refrigerator temperature. Frozen or partly frozen meat takes at least 50% longer.
- Weights outside the range USDA's chart covers are scaled from the nearest published band and flagged in the results.
- Convection ovens, brining, spatchcocking and covering the pan all change the real time and are not modelled.
About this calculator
Roasting times are a scheduling tool. Temperature, not time, is what makes food safe, and USDA says so on every chart it publishes: "Always use a food thermometer to check the internal temperature." A 14 lb turkey might take three and a half hours or four and a quarter depending on how cold it went in, how accurate the oven is, whether it is stuffed, and how often you open the door. The time here tells you when to put it in. The thermometer tells you when to take it out.
The numbers that actually matter
- 165 °F for all poultry — whole birds, parts, ground, and any stuffing. Check the innermost thigh, the innermost wing and the thickest part of the breast; all three must clear it. Pop-up timers are not reliable.
- 145 °F plus a three-minute rest for whole cuts of beef, pork, veal and lamb, and for uncooked ham. The rest is part of the safety standard, not a serving suggestion: the temperature carries on climbing and holds long enough to finish the kill step.
- 160 °F for ground meat, which is higher than for a steak of the same animal because grinding spreads surface bacteria all the way through.
- 165 °F for leftovers and casseroles.
The full USDA table is in the results.
How the times are built
Each cut uses the USDA chart for that species, at the oven temperature that chart assumes — 325 °F for beef and turkey, 350 °F for pork and chicken. Beef and pork are published as minutes per pound; chicken and turkey as total times for a weight band, which is why a 12 lb turkey and a 14 lb turkey do not scale linearly. Where USDA gives a range (23–25 minutes per pound for a bone-in rib roast, for instance), the doneness setting decides where in that range to land: rare at the fast end, well done at the slow end. No multiplier has been invented on top of the published figures.
Things that will throw the estimate off
Roasting from frozen or partly frozen takes at least 50% longer, and a stuffed bird must never go in frozen. A stuffed turkey runs longer than an unstuffed one of the same weight, and the stuffing is normally the last thing to reach 165 °F — USDA's advice is to cook it in a separate dish. Convection ovens run roughly 25 °F hotter than the dial. Opening the door costs real time. Brined and spatchcocked birds cook faster. A boned and rolled joint takes longer per pound than the same cut on the bone, because the bone conducts heat inward.
Never roast below 325 °F: at lower oven temperatures meat spends too long in the temperature range where bacteria multiply. And carryover cooking is real — a large roast keeps climbing 5–10 °F after it leaves the oven, so pull it a little early rather than a little late.
Frequently asked questions
▸How long do I cook a turkey per pound?
USDA publishes total times by weight band rather than a per-pound figure, because bigger birds are proportionally faster. At 325 °F an unstuffed 14–18 lb turkey takes 3¾ to 4¼ hours and a stuffed one 4 to 4¼ hours. Whatever the clock says, it is done at 165 °F in the innermost thigh, innermost wing and thickest part of the breast.
▸What is the safe internal temperature for chicken?
165 °F (73.9 °C) for all poultry — whole, in parts, ground, and any stuffing cooked inside it. There is no lower safe figure for chicken as there is for beef.
▸Is 145 °F really safe for pork?
Yes, for whole cuts, with a three-minute rest — USDA lowered it from 160 °F in 2011. Ground pork still needs 160 °F, because grinding distributes surface bacteria throughout the meat.
▸Why does USDA require a three-minute rest?
Because the temperature keeps rising after the meat leaves the heat, and holding at 145 °F for three minutes achieves the same reduction in bacteria as a higher instantaneous temperature. It applies to whole cuts of beef, pork, veal and lamb, not to poultry or ground meat.
▸Can I roast at 250 °F to keep the meat juicy?
USDA says no: use an oven temperature no lower than 325 °F for meat and poultry. Below that the food spends too long in the range where bacteria multiply quickly.
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