Roast and Meat Cooking Time Calculator

How to use the Meat Cooking Time Calculator

1. Choose the kind of meat. The USDA safe minimum internal temperature for it appears straight away.
2. Enter the weight and your recipe's minutes per kilogram or pound, the resting time, and when you want to eat.
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With your numbers

1. Start = serving time − weight × minutes per unit − resting time

Quick reference

Times use your recipe’s minutes per weight and are estimates; temperatures are the USDA minimums.

Where the numbers come from

The fixed figures this calculator relies on, and the published source each one was checked against. How the calculators are built and checked

Common questions about the Meat Cooking Time Calculator

How long do I roast pork per pound?

For as many minutes per pound as your recipe gives, until the thickest part reaches 145 °F, 62.8 °C, the USDA minimum for whole cuts of pork, then rest it at least 3 minutes. At the page’s default of 18 minutes per pound, a 4 lb pork roast takes 4 × 18 = 72 minutes; add a 30 minute rest and, to eat at 14:00, it goes in at 12:18.

How long do I roast beef per pound?

Use your recipe’s minutes per pound for the cut, and take it out once the centre reads at least 145 °F, 62.8 °C, the USDA minimum for whole cuts of beef, followed by a rest of at least 3 minutes. At the default 18 minutes per pound, a 3 lb beef roast takes 3 × 18 = 54 minutes, so with a 30 minute rest it goes in at 12:36 to eat at 14:00.

How long do I roast lamb per pound or kilogram?

As long as your recipe says, until the thickest part reaches 145 °F, 62.8 °C, the USDA minimum for whole cuts of lamb, and then at least a 3 minute rest. Recipes that give minutes per kilogram work the same way: at the page’s metric default of 40 minutes per kilogram, a 2 kg leg of lamb takes 2 × 40 = 80 minutes, and with a 30 minute rest it goes in at 12:10 for a 14:00 meal.

How long do I roast a chicken per pound?

Until the thickest part, not touching bone, reads 165 °F, 73.9 °C, the USDA minimum for all poultry, whatever the clock says; the minutes per pound come from your recipe. At the default 18 minutes per pound, a 5 lb chicken takes 5 × 18 = 90 minutes, and with a 30 minute rest it goes in at 12:00 to eat at 14:00.

What temperature should chicken reach?

The USDA’s safe minimum internal temperature for all poultry, whole or in pieces, is 165 °F, 73.9 °C, measured in the thickest part and not touching bone. Ground meats are 160 °F, 71.1 °C; whole cuts of beef, pork, veal and lamb are 145 °F, 62.8 °C, followed by a rest of at least 3 minutes.

How long per pound should I roast meat?

This page does not say, on purpose. Published minutes-per-pound figures disagree with each other, and the right one depends on the cut, its shape, the oven temperature and how cold the meat is going in. Use your recipe’s figure for the time, and a thermometer for doneness.

Do I need a meat thermometer?

Yes. Colour and juices are not reliable signs that meat has reached a safe temperature, and cooking times are estimates. An instant-read thermometer in the thickest part is the only way to know.

What is carry-over cooking?

A large roast keeps cooking after it leaves the oven, because the hot outside keeps passing heat inwards, so its centre can rise by several degrees while it rests. Resting also lets juices settle before carving. Allow for the rise when you decide when to take the roast out, and plan the rest into the timing, as the page does.