Meat Cooking Times
Getting that joint of Beef or Lamb cooked perfectly requires some experience, so in this section I am going to give you the perfect cooking times for various joint and cuts of Meat.
Cooking Meat
By Cowbridge Kitchen
If you are cooking on a BBQ or trying to impress your dinner guests, it is important that you get your cooking times right
Some people like their steak Rare, others like it Well-Done. Getting this right can be tricky.
How to Cook Beef
When cooking a joint of Beef it is important to let the meat rest at room temperature for at least an hour before cooking.
How do you want it cooked
There are a few choices here, you can go with Medium-Rare, Medium, Medium-well or Well Done.
By far the best way to get your joint cooked perfectly is to use a meat cooking probe, these can be expensive but worth the cost if you cook a lot.
Med-Rare 54.4 C to 57.2 C
Medium 60 C to 62.8 C
Med-Well 65.5 C to 68.3 C
Well Done 71.1 C and above
Going on time
Calculate your cooking time on 500g (Half a kilo of meat)
Medium-Rare :
Cook the joint @180c for 20 minutes per 500g plus 15 minutes
Medium :
Cook the joint @ 180c for 25 minutes plus 15 minutes per 500g
Medium-Well :
Cook the joint @180c for 30 minutes per 500g , plus 15 minutes
Well Done :
Cook the joint @180c for 35 minutes per 500g, plus 15 minutes.
How to Cook Lamb
Cooking Lamb correctly can be tricky, I seal the leg in a griddle pan before putting it in the oven. Lamb can also be cooked from Medium-Rare to Well Done, I like mine medium but if you like yours cooked for longer here are the timings.
How do you want it cooked
These times are based on weight and the Leg of Lamb, Half Leg or Full Leg.
Using a Meat Cooking Probe
Medium 60 C to 62.8 C
Med-Well 65 C to 68 C
Well Done 71 C and above
Going on time
These times are calculated on a 500 g joint of meat.
Medium :
Cook the Leg @150 C for 25 minutes per 500g plus 25 minutes
Well Done :
Cook the leg @150 C for 35 minutes per 500g plus 35 minutes.
How to Cook Pork
Cooking Pork is a bit like cooking Chicken or Turkey as it is a white meat it has to be fully cooked and can't be Medium-Rare or even Medium, it has to be cooked.
This makes the cooking times a bit easier as there is only one rule.
If you like pork crackling
Calculate the cooking times based on 500 g of Pork.
Season the pork with salt before putting it in the oven.
Cook the Pork for 20 minutes @220 C then reduce the temperature to 180 C.
Continue cooking the joint for 35 minutes per 500g
Remove the joint from the oven and cut the string from the bottom, as you remove the string the rind (Crackling) should come off with it. If not then slice it from the joint before wrapping it it Foil.
Leave the meat to rest for 30 minutes before slicing.
Cooking Steak
No matter what cut of Steak you are cooking, A Fillet Steak, A Sirloin Steak, T-bone or Rump, these rules apply to all.
It is difficult to put a time on cooking a steak as it depends on your Grill Temperature and your interpritation of cooked.
You can have a steak cooked to different degrees. From Blue to Well Done. The trick is knowing when it is cooked to your requierments. Experience has a lot to do with this but there are a few old Chef's tricks that I can share with you.
Slight of Hand Trick
It is an old Chefs trick and it is as old as the hills, But you can tell how a cut of Steak is cooked by pushing the meat with your finger and checking the way it feels against your own hand.
When doing this your hand should be as relaxed as possible. Don't use any pressure to press your finger and thumb together, just touch them together to get the right texture.
Thumb to Index Finger
Rare
Thumb to Middle Finger
Medium Rare
Thumb to Ring Finger
Medium/Well
Thumb to Little Finger
Well Done
Cooking by Temperature
Rare 60℃
Medium Rare 60- 65℃
Medium 65- 70℃
Medium Well 70- 75℃
Cooking Chicken
The first thing to realise with poultry is that is has to be fully cooked, unlike Beef and Lamb that can be anything from Rere to Well-Done, Chicken CAN NOT BE PINK.
As a rule I try to aim for a core temperature of 75c or 167F, although anything above 63c will be cooked.
Whole Chicken
These cooking times were used in a small Air-Fryer oven, but the times will translate for any oven at the same temperature.
Whole Chicken (large) 4lb / 1.8kg
350F / 180C 65 minutes
Whole Chicken (medium) 3lb / 1.5kg
350F / 180C 55 minutes
Chicken Breasts
When cooking a chicken breast we are assuming that you are cooking it in an oven, wrapped in foil, as this is the best way to keep it moist.
You can Char-grill the Chicken Breast if you like but the rule is that it must reach a temperature of over 63c, preferably 75c.
Cooking by weight
In an Oven or Air-Fryer
170g Breast / 185c / 15 minutes
226g Breast / 185c / 18 minutes
250g Breast / 185c / 23 minutes
280g Breast / 185c/ 25 minutes
310g Breast / 185c / 27 minutes