Whole cuts and rolled meat need different care

These are the recommendations published on Australian Lamb’s dedicated doneness page. Culinary tables can differ, including its separate timing chart, so the source is stated explicitly.

FSANZ says cooking food to 70°C in the centre generally helps ensure safety. Minced or rolled lamb, including burgers, koftas and rolled roasts, should reach at least 75°C in the centre. Follow product instructions for injected or mechanically tenderised meat. People at higher risk of foodborne illness should avoid undercooked meat.

Read Australian Lamb’s doneness guidance

Slow-cooked lamb: check tenderness too

Shoulder, shanks, neck and breast need enough gentle cooking to soften their connective tissue. A steak doneness temperature does not mean these cuts are tender. Continue a covered braise until a fork enters easily, keeping enough liquid in the tray.

Rest chops and small steaks for about 5 minutes; rest larger roasts for 15–20 minutes. The centre can continue warming after cooking. Confirm that any required safety temperature has actually been reached.

Keep marinating lamb covered in the fridge at 5°C or colder. Use clean plates and utensils for cooked meat. Cool leftovers promptly in shallow containers.

Our recipe temperatures

These original pork recipes use 70°C in the centre, following FSANZ’s general cooking guidance. For minced or rolled pork, FSANZ recommends at least 75°C. Our stuffed pork guidance also uses 75°C. Check the thickest part with a clean thermometer, away from bone, and follow product instructions.

Australian Pork’s culinary fillet guide uses a lower temperature, around 63°C, for an intact fillet. We state this difference explicitly rather than presenting the two sources as identical. Our recipe instructions follow the more conservative FSANZ general guidance.

FSANZ food safety basics · Australian Pork fillet guide

Slow cooking and crackling

Shoulder, hock, belly and ribs need time for connective tissue to soften. Reaching a minimum cooking temperature does not mean they are tender. Continue gentle, moist cooking until a fork enters easily.

For optional crackling, buy skin-on pork and keep the rind dry, uncovered in the fridge at 5°C or colder. Score the rind without cutting deeply into the meat. Salt the dry rind and follow the product’s roasting instructions. Keep marinades and braising liquid away from the rind. Fat can cause BBQ flare-ups.

Measured belly meals use rind-removed pork. Optional rind or crackling is excluded from their ingredients, nutrition and shopping quantities. Fresh pork and cured or smoked products are not interchangeable.

Use clean utensils for cooked food, refrigerate marinades and cool leftovers promptly in shallow containers.

One centre-temperature check for all cuts

FSANZ recommends at least 75°C in the centre for all poultry, including whole cuts, roasts and mince. Chicken does not use the rare-to-well-done steak categories. Colour, clear juices or elapsed cooking time cannot replace a thermometer check.

On a BBQ, brown chicken over moderate direct heat, then move larger or bone-in pieces to indirect heat with the hood closed. Sugary marinades can burn before the centre is cooked; add clean reserved glaze near the end rather than repeatedly using raw marinade.

Read FSANZ food safety basics

Handle raw chicken carefully

Do not wash raw chicken: splashes can spread contamination. Keep raw chicken and its utensils separate from salad and cooked food. Discard marinade that has touched raw chicken and use clean plates and tongs after cooking.

Refrigerate at 5°C or colder and thaw in the fridge. Follow use-by dates and product instructions. Cool leftovers promptly in shallow containers. Reheat quickly until piping hot.

Boneless breast cooks faster than bone-in wings or drumsticks. Cooking times in the recipes are estimates; thickness, starting temperature and equipment change the result.