Endpoint Temperature, Internal Cooked Color, and Expressible Juice Color Relationships in Ground Beef Patties

Ground beef patties from A‐ and E‐maturity carcasses and imported trimmings were cooked to 55 to 77°C. Internal patty color became less red as endpoint temperature increased. However, some patties cooked to lower temperatures turned brown prematurely. Visual evaluation of internal patty color was not an accurate indicator of patty doneness. Raw material source had little effect on internal patty color. Expressible juices from imported trimmings were less red than those from A‐and E‐maturity carcasses. Expressible juice became less red and more yellow with increasing endpoint temperature; however, expressible juice never “ran clear.” A more appropriate guideline would be “cook until juices lack redness.”