Pork Cooking Times

Pork cooking times and temperatures are extremely important when cooking pork. The optimum flavor and tenderness of various cuts of pork can be consistently achieved when care is taken to follow the recommended pork cooking time and temperature guidelines.

Using the recommended time and temperature guidelines will ensure that the meat is cooked to the minimum safe internal temperature, which is critical in preventing food-borne illness that can be caused by undercooked pork. Using an accurate meat thermometer is the best way to ensure the proper doneness of pork.

Whether you are looking for a pork loin cooking time or a pork chop cooking time, use the following chart as a cooking time and temperature guide for pork cuts (including ham) that are cooked in the oven, grilled, or are inserted into an oven bag prior to cooking. See the article, "Pork Doneness" for additional information on determining the proper doneness of pork.

PORK Cooking Times and Temperatures
Pork Oven Baked or Roasted at 350°F
Type of Pork	Pork Cut			Weight	Meat Thermometer Temperature	Approximate Cooking Time (minutes per pound)
Fresh pork	Crown roast			6-10 lbs.	160°F	20 minutes
	Center loin roast (with bone)			3-5 lbs.	160°F	20 minutes
	Boneless top loin roast			2-4 lbs.	160°F	20 minutes
	Blade loin or sirloin			3-4 lbs.	170°F	40-45 minutes
	Rolled loin			3-5 lbs.	170°F	35-40 minutes
	Whole leg (fresh ham, bone-in)			12-16 lbs.	170°F	22-26 minutes
	Whole leg (fresh ham, rolled)			10-14 lbs.	170°F	24-28 minutes
	Half leg (bone-in)			5-8 lbs.	170°F	35-40 minutes
	Leg half (shank or butt portion)			3-4 lbs.	160°- 170°F	40 minutes
	Boston butt			3-6 lbs.	160°- 170°F	45 minutes
	Boston shoulder			4-6 lbs.	170°F	40-45 minutes
	Tenderloin (roast at 425°- 450°F)			1/2 - 1 1/2 lbs.	160°F	25-35 minutes total
	Picnic shoulder			5-8 lbs.	170°F	30-35 minutes
	Rolled picnic shoulder			3-5 lbs.	170°F	35-40 minutes
	Cushion style shoulder			3-5 lbs.	170°F	30-35 minutes
	Spare ribs			3 lbs.	Well done	1 1/2 - 2 1/2 hrs total
Cured and Smoked	Arm picnic shoulder (bone-in)			5-8 lbs.	170°F	30 minutes
	Shoulder boneless roll			2-3 lbs.	170°F	35-45 minutes
Ham, smoked (cook before eating)	Half ham (bone-in)			5-7 lbs.	160°F	25-30 minutes
	Whole ham			10-14 lbs.	160°F	18-20 minutes
	Whole ham			14-16 lbs.	160°F	15-18 minutes
Ham, smoked (fully cooked pork, heat at 325°F)	Half ham (bone-in)			5-7 lbs.	140°F	18-20 minutes
	Half ham (boneless)			3-4 lbs.	140°F	25-30 minutes
	Whole ham (bone-in)			12-14 lbs.	140°F	15 minutes
	Whole ham (boneless)			6-8 lbs.	140°F	10-12 minutes
	Whole ham (boneless)			14-16 lbs.	140°F	5-7 minutes
Note: Start with meat at refrigerated temperature. Remove the meat from the oven when it reaches 5° to 10°F below the desired doneness; the temperature will continue to rise as the meat stands.
Grilled Pork
Type of Pork	Pork Cut			Thickness	Medium (145°F)	Well Done (160°F)
Fresh pork	Blade steak			1/2 inch	10-12 minutes	12-14 minutes
	Chops			3/4 inch	12-14 minutes	14-19 minutes
	Loin (rib and shoulder)			1 1/4 - 1 1/2 inch	35-40 minutes	40-45 minutes
	Patties			1/2 inch	6-8 minutes	8-10 minutes
Ham (fully cooked)					8-10 minutes per pound
Ham (cook before eating)				3-4 lbs.		10-12 min. per pound
				5-7 lbs.		12-18 min. per pound
				10-14 lbs.		30-35 min. per pound
Note: When grilling with Indirect Heat generally the coals (or burners on a gas grill) are heated to a high heat. When grilling with Direct Heat the coals (or burners on a gas grill) are heated to a medium heat. Use these heat settings unless you have a recipe that states something different. See how to test the grill temperature.
Pork Cooked at 325°F in an Oven Bag
Type of Fresh Pork Cut	Total Weight	Approximate Cooking Time (total time)			Add Water to Oven Bag	Meat Thermometer Temperature
		Regular-Size Oven Bag 10"x 16"	Large-Size Oven Bag 14"x 20"	Turkey-Size Oven Bag 19"x 23 1/2"
Fresh ham (pork leg)	5-8 lbs.		2-3 hours		None	170°F
	12-14 lbs.			3 1/2 - 4 hours	1/2 cup	170°F
Top loin roast (boneless, tied)	2 1/2 - 3 lbs.	1 1/4-1 1/2 hrs.			1/4 cup	160°F
	4-6 lbs.		1 1/2-1 3/4 hrs.		1/4 cup	160°F
	10 lbs.			2 - 2 1/4 hours	1/2 cup	160°F
Sirloin roast (bone-in)	2 1/2-3 1/2 lbs.	1 1/4-1 3/4 hrs.			1/4 cup	160°F
	4-6 lbs.		2 - 2 1/4 hrs.		1/4 cup	160°F
Tenderloin (whole)	1 1/2-2 lbs.		35-40 minutes		None	160°F
Pork chops (1/2" thick)	3/4 - 1 lbs.	30-35 minutes			None	160°F
	1 - 1 1/2 lbs.		30-35 minutes		None	160°F
Spareribs	1 - 1 1/2 lbs.	1 1/4-1 1/2 hrs.			1/4 cup	Fork Tender
	1 1/2 - 4 lbs.		1 1/4-1 1/2 hrs.		1/4 cup	Fork Tender
Boston butt roast (shoulder)	2 1/2 - 3 lbs.	1 3/4-2 1/4 hrs.			1/4 cup	170°F
	4-6 lbs.		2 1/2 - 3 hours		1/4 cup	170°F
Fresh picnic	4-5 lbs.		2 1/2 - 3 hours		1/4 cup	170°F
Type of Smoked Pork Cut	Total Weight	Approximate Cooking Time (total time)			Add Water to Oven Bag	Meat Thermometer Temperature
		Regular-Size Oven Bag 10"x 16"	Large-Size Oven Bag 14"x 20"	Turkey-Size Oven Bag 19"x 23 1/2"
Smoked Picnic	5-8 lbs.		2 1/4 - 3 hours		1/4 cup	170°F
Whole fully cooked ham (bone-in)	12-16 lbs.			2 1/2-3 1/4 hrs.	None	140°F
Fully cooked ham half (bone-in)	6-8 lbs.		1 1/2 - 2 hours		None	140°F
	8-10 lbs.			2 - 2 1/2 hours	None	140°F
Fully cooked ham half (boneless)	2-4 lbs.	1 - 1 3/4 hours			1/2 cup	140°F
	4-6 lbs.		1 1/4-1 3/4 hrs.		1/2 cup	140°F
	10-12 lbs.			2 1/4-2 3/4 hrs.	1/2 cup	140°F
Smoked shank or rump half ham (spiral sliced, place cut side down)	8-10 lbs.			1 1/2-1 3/4 hrs.	None	140°F
Whole country ham (bone-in)	10-14 lbs.			3 1/2-4 1/2 hrs.	Soak covered in water 24 hours before cooking; drain. Add 4 cups fresh water to bag to cook.	Fork Tender
Country ham half (bone-in)	5-7 lbs.			2 1/2 - 3 hours	Soak covered in water 24 hours before cooking; drain. Add 2 cups fresh water to bag to cook.	Fork Tender
Oven Bag Instructions: Preheat the oven to 325°F. Add 1 tablespoon flour to the oven bag and distribute evenly on the inside of the bag prior to inserting the cut of pork. Remove the meat from the oven when the meat thermometer reaches the temperature listed or when the meat is fork tender. If using a turkey-size oven bag for a pork cut smaller than 12 lbs., gather the oven bag loosely around the meat allowing room for heat circulation; then close the bag with a nylon tie, and cut away any excess oven bag.