Meat rest and carryover temperature calculator.

What is carryover cooking and when should I pull the meat?

Carryover cooking is the rise in internal temperature after meat leaves the heat. ThermoWorks measured it for pieces pulled at 140 F (chicken at 157 F) from ovens at 300 F and 425 F: a 150 g pork chop rose 4.9 F at 300 F and 11.5 F at 425 F, a 1229 g pork loin rose 6.5 F and 15.5 F, salmon rose 7.3 F and 19 F, and a chicken breast rose 7.9 F and 12.9 F. Hotter cooking and more mass gave more carryover. Large smoked cuts such as brisket were not measured, so enter your own figure for them. The article is dated 9 October 2025, and its 425 F masses differ from the 300 F masses for some items (for example beef chunk 260 g versus 286 g); this calculator ignores that difference.

Safety first. This tool uses the stricter Canadian figures where they differ: Health Canada gives 71 C / 160 F for pork chops, loin and roasts and 70 C / 158 F for fish, while USDA FSIS gives 145 F for pork and fish. Beef, veal and lamb steaks, chops and roasts are 145 F (63 C) at both agencies, ground meats 160 F and poultry 165 F. Measure with a food thermometer; FSIS says to reach the temperature for steaks, chops and roasts before removing the meat from the heat source. Health Canada’s figures are higher for pork (71 C / 160 F) and fish (70 C / 158 F); see the food safe temperature chart. A pull temperature below the minimum shown relies on carryover to reach the minimum. The tool warns when that happens; pulling at or above the minimum is the conservative choice.

Worked example. Target 165 F for a chicken breast cooked at 300 F: carryover is 7.9 F, so the pull temperature is 157.1 F (69.5 C). That is below the 165 F poultry minimum, so the tool flags it.