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Pork Cooking Times

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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.
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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. 145°F 12 minutes
Center loin roast (with bone) 3-5 lbs. 145°F 20 minutes
Boneless top loin roast 2-4 lbs. 145°F 20 minutes
Blade loin or sirloin 3-4 lbs. 145°F 27-32 minutes
Rolled loin 3-5 lbs. 145°F 35-40 minutes
Whole leg (fresh ham, bone-in) 12-16 lbs. 145°F 15 minutes
Whole leg (fresh ham, rolled) 10-14 lbs. 145°FF 20 minutes
Half leg (bone-in) 5-8 lbs. 145°F 22-25 minutes
Leg half (shank or butt portion) 3-4 lbs. 145°F 22-25 minutes
Boston butt 3-6 lbs. 145°F 20 minutes
Boston shoulder
4-6 lbs. 145°F 20 minutes
Tenderloin (roast at 425°- 450°F) 1/2 - 1 1/2 lbs. 145°F 20-27 minutes total
Picnic shoulder 5-8 lbs. 145°F 25-30 minutes
Rolled picnic shoulder
3-5 lbs. 145°F 25 minutes
Cushion style shoulder 3-5 lbs. 145°F 30-35 minutes
Spare ribs 3 lbs. Tender 1 1/2 - 2 hrs total
Cured and Smoked Arm picnic shoulder (bone-in) 5-8 lbs. 145°F 20-25 minutes
Shoulder boneless roll 2-3 lbs. 145°F 35-45 minutes
Ham, smoked
(cook before eating)
Half ham (bone-in) 5-7 lbs. 145°F 25-30 minutes
Whole ham 10-14 lbs. 145°F 18-20 minutes
Whole ham 14-16 lbs. 145°F 15-18 minutes
Ham, smoked
(fully cooked pork,
heat at 325°F)
Half ham (bone-in) 5-7 lbs. 140°F 12-14 minutes
Half ham (boneless) 3-4 lbs. 140°F 15-20 minutes
Whole ham (bone-in) 12-14 lbs. 140°F 15 minutes
Whole ham (boneless)
6-8 lbs. 140°F 15-17 minutes
Whole ham (boneless) 14-16 lbs. 140°F 8-12 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 - Cook to 145° F. 1/2 inch 6-8 minutes 8-10 minutes
Chops - Cook to 145° F. 3/4 inch 8-10 minutes 10-15 minutes
Loin (rib and shoulder) - Cook to 145° F. 1 1/4 - 1 1/2 inch 20-30 minutes 40-45 minutes
Patties - Cook to 160° F. 1/2 inch 8-10 minutes 8-10 minutes
Ham
(fully cooked)
Cook to 140° F. 8-10 minutes
per pound
Ham
(cook before eating)
Cook to 145° F. 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

Note: The cooking times below are for cooking pork to 160°F., the old USDA standard. The new standard for fresh pork is 145°F. Be aware that the estimated cooking times below should be reduced to meet the new USDA standards for fresh or not fully cooked pork.
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 145°F
12-14 lbs. 3 1/2 - 4 hours 1/2 cup 145°F
Top loin roast
(boneless, tied)
2 1/2 - 3 lbs. 1 1/4-1 1/2 hrs. 1/4 cup 145°F
4-6 lbs. 1 1/2-1 3/4 hrs. 1/4 cup 145°F
10 lbs. 2 - 2 1/4 hours 1/2 cup 145°F
Sirloin roast
(bone-in)
2 1/2-3 1/2 lbs. 1 1/4-1 3/4 hrs. 1/4 cup 145°F
4-6 lbs. 2 - 2 1/4 hrs. 1/4 cup 145°F
Tenderloin (whole) 1 1/2-2 lbs. 35-40 minutes None 145°F
Pork chops
(1/2" thick)
3/4 - 1 lbs. 30-35 minutes None 145°F
1 - 1 1/2 lbs. 30-35 minutes None 145°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 145°F
4-6 lbs. 2 1/2 - 3 hours 1/4 cup 145°F
Fresh picnic 4-5 lbs. 2 1/2 - 3 hours 1/4 cup 145°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 145°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 (see the note at the top of the Oven Bag Cooking Chart in regard to cooking times). 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.
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Pork Cooking Times Reviews

pork cooking times

:
Average of 4.13 out of 5 stars
Rating of 4 out of 5.0 stars
Ratings (8)
Reviews (11)
Comments (3)
greatma User
Rating of 5 out of 5.0 stars
Reviewed By
"I used this chart for when I grilled some pork chops last night for supper. The timing was pretty good. I grilled them for about 9 minutes on side one and 8 minutes on the reverse side. The second side wasn't browned as nicely as side one but I didn't want to overcook them. They were great."
sassypants User
Rating of 5 out of 5.0 stars
Reviewed By
"Just thought I would let you know I used your new information on cooking temperatures and times for pork and had pretty good luck. I cooked a 4 lb. Boston butt roast for about 1.25 hours and started testing its temperature until it reached 140 degrees. Then I took it out and let it set for 15 minutes. It turned out pretty good. Moist and had a lot of flavor."
RecipeTips.com User
Comment By
"After receiving several comments on our pork cooking temperatures being too high to produce moist and tender pork, I did some research on the current cooking temperatures recommended by the USDA and the Pork Producers. I found that they had lowered the recommended temperatures so I have made the necessary changes to our cooking charts and other pork cooking information to reflect the new recommendations. Thanks Webmaster for bringing this to our attention!"
webermaster
Rating of 1 out of 5.0 stars
Reviewed By
"170 is killing it, 150 with a 10 - 15 min. coast is perfectly safe"
webermaster
Reviewed By
"cooking any pork but ribs to 170 you might as well feed it to your dogs. Pork is perfectly safe at 150 and a 15 minute rest. Dont be fooled by fools."
webermaster
Reviewed By
"cooking any pork to 170 is making jerky. Perfectly safe cooking to 150 and letting it rest. Dont let fools fool you."
webermaster
Comment By
"are you kidding me...cook any pork except maybe ribs to 170 and you might as well toss it to the dogs. Pork is perfectly safe cooked to 150 and then letting it rest for 15 min. 170 is a false guideline our nanny government set."
webermaster
Comment By
"are you kidding me...cook any pork except maybe ribs to 170 and you might as well toss it to the dogs. Pork is perfectly safe cooked to 150 and then letting it rest for 15 min. 170 is a false guideline our nanny government set."
KiyLynn User
Rating of 5 out of 5.0 stars
Reviewed By
"When I cook a pork loin I am always concerned that it gets done and I end up cooking it too long. I found this chart that indicated a thermometer temperature for checking doneness. I tried checking doneness with a thermometer for our last pork loin. Finally . . . the meat was moist!"
bam User
Rating of 5 out of 5.0 stars
Reviewed By
"Found this chart when I was searching for cooking temperatures and times for Boston Butt roast. I have to cook a couple of roast for the weekend and wasn't sure what temperature to cook at and for how long. Didn't want to overcook them so this chart will be helpful."
RTMember1929 User
Reviewed By
"I am not a pork fan but it could be because I tend to over cook it and it becomes a dry mess. I will have to try it using this cooking chart and see if things change."
Brad User
Reviewed By
"For pork ribs, 1 1/2 inch thick, I grill them at indirect medium heat (350) for about 90 minutes, flipping halfway. A meat thermometer should read around 170 degrees when done. I use a little meat sausage seasoning and some salt and pepper. Very simple and the kids love them."
Michael Wayne User
Rating of 5 out of 5.0 stars
Reviewed By
"Great chart and reference. Just what I was searching for. Magnoliasouth, they might have updated the chart since your comment. I was able to see results for chops in a couple areas."
Brad User
Rating of 5 out of 5.0 stars
Rating By
magnoliasouth
Rating of 2 out of 5.0 stars
Reviewed By
"This would be helpful except that there is nothing to indicate how long to bake pork chops, even though the article itself touts that it's there. Pork chops are much more common than the rest."
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