# USDA Wild Game Internal Temperature Cooking Guidelines and Documentation



## tallbm

Well I went to find this information and it was damn near impossible to locate. 

The USDA web page for this information is busted BUT I was able to find the same content as a PDF document located at the following,

A Google search on the term "*USDA game to farm table PDF*" should return it as the top result for you.

USDA Wild Game Internal Temp documentation here: https://s3.amazonaws.com/assets.cce.../19032/Game_from_Farm_to_Table.pdf?1481131140

The following quote is taken directly from page 8 of the document:


> *APPROXIMATE GAME COOKING TIMES*​ ​Whole game birds are safe cooked to a minimum internal temperature of 165°F as measured with a food thermometer.
> 
> Check the internal temperature in the innermost part of the thigh and wing and the thickest part of the breast. For reasons
> 
> of personal preference, consumers may choose to cook poultry to higher temperatures.
> 
> Ground meats and other cuts of game meat should reach 160°F. Approximate cooking times for use in meal planning are given on the chart below....


Also, I was not able to find a definitive post with this information so I am making this post :)

Finally, I am not sure of the content has been updated but the last page of the document states that the document was last revised in May 2011.

I hope this helps!


----------



## mowin

The only time I take venison near 160* is when making pastrami. 
Otherwise it's never over 130*.  

160* would be dry and tuff. 

Agree on poultry


----------



## tallbm

mowin said:


> The only time I take venison near 160* is when making pastrami.
> Otherwise it's never over 130*.
> 
> 160* would be dry and tuff.
> 
> Agree on poultry


I pretty much agree with you on whitetail.  I rarely have any other venison other then maybe some Blackbuck Antelope so I can't speak to much about a variety of venison meat but I would probably treat it all the same way.  

Soon as I get my smoker on/off switch fixed I'm smoking franks with feral hog meat.  I believe it is important to hit the 160F for feral hog and for bear meat.  Those animals just get into too much stuff and trichinosis is a real factor with them... though I don't get to hunt or eat bear.  I just have read about numerous cases and seen people attest to getting sick from undercooked bear on tv :)

I wonder if there are any venison animals that are prone or more susceptible to being carriers of some parasite to be concerned about.  I guess a google could tell me :)


----------



## chef jimmyj

Healthy Herbivores and Game Birds, taken in the proper season, are generally bacteria and parasite free. Unless you have poor evisorating skills and contaminate the meat with with feces from the digestive system. The venison exception is Chronic Wasteing Disease, where the cause a Prion ( a malformed protein) that can  be found in venison brains, spinal colums and lymph nodes. The prion can get on the meat, from  a head, or spine shot, along with not removing the lymph glands. If CWD is found in your area you may want to have the meat tested. The concensus is heat does not destroy the prion. If you can walk up on a Pheasant and it stares at you instead of flushing, it is diseased and you don't want to eat it cooked to any temp. The problem with Bear, Big Cats and Feral Hog is they are Omnivores and are carrion eaters, consume rats that are Trichinae carriers and a favorite Buffet, a Trash Dump. Cooking to 165 eliminated the risk.

As with any meat...There is some risk of bacteria and should be cooked following USDA guidelines, if you are worried....JJ


----------



## myownidaho

When it comes to game birds, pretty much any of them cooked to 160 will result in ruined. Exceptions would be braising or making into soup or stew where you're going long and slow. 

I agree with Chef JJ, if any game bird(except forest grouse) just stares at you, don't eat it.


----------



## indaswamp

Chef JimmyJ said:


> Healthy Herbivores and Game Birds, taken in the proper season, are generally bacteria and parasite free. Unless you have poor evisorating skills and contaminate the meat with with feces from the digestive system. The venison exception is Chronic Wasteing Disease, where the cause a Prion ( a malformed protein) that can be found in venison brains, spinal colums and lymph nodes. The prion can get on the meat, from a head, or spine shot, along with not removing the lymph glands. If CWD is found in your area you may want to have the meat tested. The concensus is heat does not destroy the prion. If you can walk up on a Pheasant and it stares at you instead of flushing, it is diseased and you don't want to eat it cooked to any temp. The problem with Bear, Big Cats and Feral Hog is they are Omnivores and are carrion eaters, consume rats that are Trichinae carriers and a favorite Buffet, a Trash Dump. Cooking to 165 eliminated the risk.
> 
> As with any meat...There is some risk of bacteria and should be cooked following USDA guidelines, if you are worried....JJ


Guidelines from the USDA on whole cuts of domestic pork were recently changed to 145* INT for 6 minutes. Not sure if this applies to wild pork, would think it would not.

Trichinella round worms are killed @137*F so I would think cooking whole cuts of wild pork to 145*INT would be acceptable.

BTW-there is always sous vide cooking to safely cook wild meats at low temperatures using pasteurization instead of high temp to sterilize the meat. I love Sous vide duck breasts cooked to 132*INT....


----------



## shyzabrau

I was going to suggest freezing for wild pig and bear, but it looks like that isn't necessarily sufficient. Sous vide is a great way to deal with some of these concerns without overcooking the meat, as Indaswamp points out. 

"Freeze pork less than 6 inches thick for 20 days at 5°F (-15°C) to kill any worms. Freezing wild game meats, unlike freezing pork products, may not effectively kill all worms because some worm species that infect wild game animals are freeze-resistant." Aug 8, 2012


----------

