Ground meat require specific cooking temperatures to ensure that the ground meat is safe for human consumption. While steak can be cooked so that the bacteria on the surface of the meat are eliminate, grinding meat introduce the bacteria to the entire piece of meat. Therefore, ground meat must be cooked to a specific internal temperature to ensure all bacteria are eliminated.
Ground red meats, like beef, pork, lamb, and veal, must reach an internal temperature of 160 degrees Fahrenheit. You should take this temperature in the thickest part of the ground meat. Ground poultry, like chicken and turkey, must reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
How to Cook Ground Meat Safely
Poultry products contain more bacteria that can cause food illness like salmonella. Cooking the poultry to 165 degrees Fahrenheit will eliminate these illness. Ground beef is one of the most common forms of ground meat.
Ground beef will typicaly contain 15-20% fat. Pan fried ground beef patties should be cooked for 8 minutes over medium heat. When cooking ground beef in an oven that reaches 350 degrees Fahrenheit, the ground beef should be cooked for 22 minutes.
Cooked ground pork will appear tan and ground lamb will appear gray brown. Ground bison and venison are lean meats and will brown quickly when cooked; however, ground bison and ground venison should still be cooked to the proper internal temperature. Ground chicken and turkey are poultry products and must reach 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
Ground chicken will appear opaque white when cooked to 165 degrees and ground turkey will also appear opaque white when cooked to the proper temperature. Because ground turkey and ground chicken are lean products, they may need to be cooked for 9-10 minutes in a pan to avoid making the meat too tough. Ground duck contains more fat than chicken; the fat will render in the pan when cooking the ground duck.
Because ground meat can become contaminated with bacteria, it is important to handle the meat correctly. Ground meat has a large surface area for bacteria to live on. Bacteria can grow rapid on meat within the temperature range of 40 degrees to 140 degrees Fahrenheit.
Ground meat should always be stored in the refrigerator at 40 degrees Fahrenheit or below; raw meat should be used within 1 or 2 day. If ground meat is left out at room temperature for more than 2 hours, it should be thrown away. If cooked ground meat is left out, it should be stored at 140 degrees Fahrenheit or above in a warmer.
A digital instant read thermometer can be used to measure the internal temperature of the ground meat. The tip of the thermometer should be inserted into the center of the patty to avoid the cooked edges of the patty. For meatballs the thermometer can be inserted into the geometric middle of the meatballs; this is the part of the meatball that reaches the internal temperature the most slow.
Always clean the thermometer with hot, soapy water before each cooking event. It isnt necessary to use the color of the meat or the color of the juices to determine whether the ground meat is cooked; the color can be misleading. There are a few myths regarding ground meat.
One of the myths is that if the ground meat does not contain pink color to the meat that it is safe to eat. This is not true because ground meat can remain pink even when it has reached the proper internal temperature. Ground meat can also appear brown when it has not yet reached the proper internal temperature.
In either instance, the only way to determine if ground meat is safe to eat is to use a thermometer. There are a few tools that can be used when preparing ground meat. One tool is a cutting board dedicated to raw meat to avoid cross contamination in the kitchen.
A heavy skillet can be used for cooking the ground meat. Tongs are suggested to cook the ground meat to avoid touching the raw meat with the human body. Lastly, a refrigerator thermometer should be used to ensure that the refrigerator reaches 40 degrees Fahrenheit or below.
By using these tools and measuring the internal temperature of the ground meat, the ground meat will be safe to eat.