For meat roast, which time-temperature combination is listed as safe?

• A. 130 Degrees for 112 Minutes or 140 Degrees for 12 Minutes
• B. 165 Degrees for Less Than One Second
• C. 145 Degrees for 15 Seconds
• D. 155 Degrees for 17 Seconds

Answer: (A)

Time and temperature work together to ensure safety by killing harmful bacteria. For meat roasts, there are pasteurization-style tables that show how a lower temperature can be held longer or a higher temperature held for a shorter time to achieve the same level of safety. That’s why there isn’t just one “right” temp, but a set of safe time-temperature pairs.

The listed safe combination includes 130°F held for 112 minutes, or 140°F held for 12 minutes. These two pairings are the ones in the standard safety chart because they produce the same target lethality as higher-temperature cooking, just achieved in different ways.

The other options don’t appear on that standard safe-pair chart: 165°F for less than one second isn’t a practical or recognized duration, and the 145°F for 15 seconds or 155°F for 17 seconds aren’t listed as safe roast combinations in that table. So the first option is the correct, chart-backed safety pairing.