Grill Time and Temperature Calculator: Burgers, Chicken, Steak and More

How it works

This grill time and temperature calculator looks up a starting range of minutes per side from the food, its thickness and, for steak, the doneness you want. It adds the heat, the set-up, the pull temperature, the safe minimum and the rest. Times assume meat straight from the fridge, a preheated grill with the lid closed and one flip. They tell you when to start checking; the thermometer tells you when to stop. Celsius is rounded to 5 degrees, like most lid dials.

Grill time and temperature chart

Minutes per side, flipped once. Steak is medium-rare.

Husked corn takes 10 to 15 minutes at medium-high, turned as it chars. Wings have their own chart in the chicken wing cooking times tool.

Direct heat or a two-zone fire

Direct heat puts the food over the flame. It suits anything thin enough to cook through before the outside burns: burgers, boneless chicken, chops up to an inch, salmon, corn.

A two-zone fire has a hot side and a cool side: coals banked under half the grate, or burners lit on one side only. Sear over the heat, then slide the food across and close the lid. The calculator uses this for steak, bone-in thighs and bratwurst, and for chops over an inch thick. The cool side is also where a burger goes when the fat flares. Charcoal grilling for beginners walks through banking the coals.

Pull temperature and carryover

Heat stored in the outer layer keeps moving inward after the food leaves the grate, so the centre climbs while it rests. That is why the calculator pulls steak 5 to 7 degrees under target: medium-rare comes off at 128°F (53°C) and settles in the low to mid 130s°F (55 to 57°C). Burgers come off at 155°F (68°C) and rest 3 to 5 minutes; chicken breast comes off at 160°F (71°C) and rests 5. Probe again after the rest; if a thin piece has not reached its safe minimum, it goes back on.

Safe minimums: USDA and Health Canada

The tool's safe minimums come from the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service: 145°F (63°C) with a 3 minute rest for whole cuts of beef, pork, veal and lamb, and for fish; 160°F (71°C) for ground meat, including burgers and raw sausage; 165°F (74°C) for all poultry. Ground meat sits higher because grinding mixes surface bacteria through the whole patty, and colour is no test: a burger can brown before it is safe.

Canada differs on pork. Health Canada lists 160°F (71°C) for pork, whole cuts included. A chop pulled at 140°F (60°C) meets the USDA number after resting, not the Canadian one; to follow Health Canada, cook it to 160°F (71°C) and expect it to take longer than the chart.

Why thickness matters more than weight

Cook time depends on how far heat has to travel to reach the centre, not on how heavy the piece is. A 12 oz (340 g) strip steak cut 1 inch thick needs 4 to 5 minutes per side for medium-rare; the same weight cut 1 1/2 inches thick needs 6 to 7. It is also why you pound chicken breasts to an even 3/4 inch (2 cm): otherwise the thin tip dries out while the fat end is still raw.

Worked example: 3/4 inch burgers

Six burgers from 2 lb (900 g) of ground beef come to about 5.3 oz (150 g) each. Press them to 3/4 inch (2 cm), a little wider than the bun. The calculator returns medium-high heat, 400 to 450°F (205 to 230°C), direct, 4 to 5 minutes per side, pull at 155°F (68°C), rest 3 to 5 minutes.

1. Preheat with the lid closed and oil the grate.
2. Press a shallow dimple into each patty so it stays flat. Salt, lay them down, close the lid, and leave the spatula alone.
3. At 4 minutes, nudge one. If it releases clean, flip them all.
4. At about 8 minutes in total, probe the thickest patty from the side, and add cheese.
5. Pull at 155°F (68°C), rest on a clean plate and check for 160°F (71°C) before it meets a bun.

On a cold, windy night the same burgers can run past 10 minutes.

Limits

• Wind and cold pull heat from the grill body, so the grate runs cooler than the dial. Add time.
• An open lid dumps heat; the times assume it stays down between flips.
• Gas holds a setting. A charcoal fire is hottest early and fades, so a second round runs slower unless you add fuel.
• Lid thermometers read the dome, not the grate. Check your instant-read in ice water: 32°F (0°C).

For brisket, pork shoulder and other long cooks, the smoker planner works back from dinner time instead.

A thermometer settles it

Every number above is a starting point; the reading on an instant-read probe is the finish line. A cheap one works as well as an expensive one if it is accurate, and you can check that in a glass of ice water (it should read 32°F or 0°C).

Sources

• USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), Safe Minimum Internal Temperature Chart.
• Health Canada, Safe internal cooking temperatures.
• Grill times and pull temperatures are starting points from common grilling practice, not an official standard.

FAQ

How long to grill burgers?

At 400 to 450°F (205 to 230°C) over direct heat: 3 to 4 minutes per side for 1/2 inch patties, 4 to 5 for 3/4 inch and 5 to 6 for 1 inch. Pull at 155°F (68°C) and rest to 160°F (71°C).

How long to grill chicken breast?

At 400 to 450°F (205 to 230°C), 4 to 5 minutes per side at 1/2 inch, 5 to 7 at 3/4 inch and 7 to 8 at 1 inch. Pull at 160°F (71°C), rest 5 minutes and confirm 165°F (74°C).

What grill temp for steak?

High heat, 450 to 500°F (230 to 260°C), with a cool zone for thick cuts. A 1 inch steak takes 4 to 5 minutes per side to medium-rare. Medium adds about a minute per side, well done about three.

How long to grill pork chops?

3 to 4 minutes per side at 3/4 inch, 4 to 5 at 1 inch and 6 to 8 at 1 1/2 inches, at 400 to 450°F (205 to 230°C). Pull at 140°F (60°C) for USDA's 145°F (63°C), or go to 160°F (71°C) for Health Canada.

How long to grill salmon and corn?

Skin-on salmon takes 4 to 5 minutes per side at 3/4 inch and 5 to 6 at 1 inch, started skin side down. Husked corn takes 10 to 15 minutes, turning; in the husk, 15 to 20.