Purine Content in Meat: A Complete Breakdown by Cut and Type

Meat is one of the primary dietary sources of purines, and if you are managing gout, understanding the differences between cuts and types can help you make informed choices. The variation is significant. Organ meats can contain ten times the purines of muscle meat, and even among regular cuts, there are meaningful differences based on the type of animal, the specific cut, and how it is prepared.

This reference, part of our purine database, provides a detailed breakdown of purine content across all major meat types, organized by animal and cut.

Understanding Purine Content in Meat

Purines are concentrated in tissues with high metabolic activity and dense cell nuclei. This is why organ meats (liver, kidney, sweetbreads) have dramatically higher purine content than muscle meat. Muscle tissue has fewer cells per gram and less metabolic activity, resulting in lower but still significant purine levels.

A few principles to keep in mind:

• Darker meats generally contain more purines than lighter meats (dark chicken meat vs. white meat, for example)
• Organ meats are in an entirely different league from muscle meat
• Game meats tend to be slightly higher than domesticated animals, likely due to greater muscle density and lower fat content
• Cooking method matters: boiling can reduce purine content by 20 to 50 percent because purines leach into the liquid

Beef

Cut	Purine (mg/100g)	Category	Notes
Liver	550	Very High	Highest common beef cut
Kidney	450	Very High	Organ meat
Heart	250	Very High	Organ meat
Tongue	160	High	Organ meat
Sirloin steak	135	High	Lean cut
Chuck roast	130	High	Shoulder
Tenderloin (filet)	128	High	Lean premium cut
Ground beef (lean)	125	High	Mixed muscle
Ribeye steak	120	High	Well-marbled
T-bone steak	125	High	Combination cut
Brisket	115	High	Slow-cook cut
Short ribs	120	High	Higher fat
Flank steak	125	High	Lean
Round roast	120	High	Lean
Corned beef	105	High	Processed, some purine loss
Beef jerky	160	High	Concentrated by dehydration
Ground beef (regular, 80/20)	115	High	Higher fat dilutes purines

A key observation: the difference between beef cuts (excluding organs) is relatively narrow, ranging from about 115 to 135mg per 100g. The fat content partially explains the variation. Leaner cuts tend to have slightly higher purine concentrations because purines are in the protein portion, not the fat.

Pork

Cut	Purine (mg/100g)	Category	Notes
Liver	500	Very High	Organ meat
Kidney	400	Very High	Organ meat
Tenderloin	125	High	Leanest pork cut
Chop (bone-in)	120	High	Common cut
Loin roast	115	High	Center cut
Shoulder (butt)	110	High	Slow-cook cut
Ribs (baby back)	110	High	Higher fat
Ribs (spare)	105	High	Fattier
Ham (fresh)	105	High	Leg meat
Ham (cured)	95	Moderate	Processing reduces purines
Bacon	95	Moderate	Fat content dilutes purines
Sausage (pork)	100	Moderate-High	Mixed with fat and fillers
Prosciutto	120	High	Concentrated by curing
Pancetta	100	Moderate-High	Cured belly
Pork belly	100	Moderate-High	High fat content
Ground pork	115	High	Mixed muscle

Pork purine levels are broadly similar to beef. Fattier cuts and processed products tend to have slightly lower purine concentrations per 100g because fat and fillers dilute the purine-containing protein.

Chicken

Cut	Purine (mg/100g)	Category	Notes
Liver	520	Very High	Organ meat
Thigh (with skin)	130	High	Dark meat
Thigh (skinless)	130	High	Dark meat
Drumstick	125	High	Dark meat
Wing	110	High	Mixed dark/white
Breast (skinless)	115	High	White meat, leanest
Breast (with skin)	110	High	Skin adds fat, dilutes
Ground chicken	120	High	Mixed meat
Rotisserie (whole)	120	High	Average of cuts
Chicken nuggets	75	Moderate	Breading and filler dilute

The difference between chicken breast and chicken thigh is relatively small (about 15mg per 100g). For a broader look at how chicken fits into gout management, see is chicken bad for gout. Dark meat is slightly higher due to greater myoglobin content and metabolic activity, but the difference is not dramatic enough to be clinically meaningful for most people.

Turkey

Cut	Purine (mg/100g)	Category	Notes
Leg (dark meat)	150	High	Highest common turkey cut
Thigh	145	High	Dark meat
Drumstick	140	High	Dark meat
Breast	120	High	White meat
Ground turkey	130	High	Usually mixed dark/white
Turkey bacon	85	Moderate	Processed
Turkey sausage	90	Moderate	Processed with fillers
Deli turkey	100	Moderate-High	Processed

Turkey shows a more pronounced dark-versus-white meat difference than chicken. Turkey leg at 150mg per 100g is notably higher than turkey breast at 120mg.

Lamb

Cut	Purine (mg/100g)	Category	Notes
Kidney	410	Very High	Organ meat
Liver	480	Very High	Organ meat
Leg	150	High	Lean cut
Loin chop	145	High	Premium cut
Rack	140	High	Well-marbled
Shoulder	135	High	Slow-cook cut
Shank	140	High	Braising cut
Ground lamb	140	High	Mixed muscle
Ribs	130	High	Higher fat

Lamb tends to be slightly higher in purines than beef and pork across comparable cuts, but the differences are modest.

Game Meats

Cut	Purine (mg/100g)	Category	Notes
Goose	165	High	Rich, dark meat
Venison (deer)	160	High	Very lean
Pheasant	150	High	Game bird
Wild boar	145	High	Leaner than pork
Elk	145	High	Very lean
Quail	140	High	Small game bird
Bison	135	High	Lean red meat
Ostrich	130	High	Very lean
Wild duck	150	High	Richer than farmed
Rabbit	130	High	Lean

Game meats are generally leaner than their farmed counterparts, which means the purine-containing protein is more concentrated per 100g. The higher purine values reflect this lower fat content.

Processed and Prepared Meats

Food	Purine (mg/100g)	Category	Notes
Beef jerky	160	High	Dehydration concentrates purines
Liverwurst	180	High	Contains liver
Pate (liver)	200+	Very High	Concentrated organ meat
Salami	105	High	Fermented, processed
Pepperoni	100	Moderate-High	Processed
Bologna	85	Moderate	Heavily processed, fillers
Hot dogs	80	Moderate	Mixed meats and fillers
Spam	90	Moderate	Processed pork
Deli roast beef	120	High	Sliced muscle meat
Deli ham	95	Moderate	Processed
Meatballs (beef)	110	High	Breadcrumb filler dilutes
Beef stew (with broth)	80	Moderate	Diluted by vegetables and liquid

Processing generally reduces apparent purine concentration because fillers, fat, and liquid dilute the purine-containing protein. However, products containing organ meats (liverwurst, pate) remain very high.

The Organ Meat vs. Muscle Meat Comparison

To put the organ meat difference in perspective:

Comparison	Organ Meat (mg/100g)	Muscle Meat (mg/100g)	Ratio
Beef liver vs. ground beef	550	125	4.4x
Sweetbreads vs. sirloin	1,000+	135	7.4x
Beef kidney vs. ribeye	450	120	3.8x
Chicken liver vs. chicken breast	520	115	4.5x

If you are trying to reduce purine intake from meat, the single most impactful change is eliminating organ meats. The difference between various muscle meat cuts is relatively small by comparison.

Cooking Methods and Purine Content

How you prepare meat affects its final purine content:

Method	Effect on Purines	Notes
Boiling/stewing	Reduces 20-50% in meat	Purines leach into liquid
Grilling	Minimal change	Purines remain in meat
Roasting	Minimal change	Some loss in drippings
Pan-frying	Minimal change	Most purines retained
Braising	Moderate reduction	Some purines enter liquid
Pressure cooking	Moderate reduction	Similar to boiling

If you boil meat and discard the cooking liquid, you can meaningfully reduce the purine content. But if you make gravy or broth from the drippings, those purines are back on your plate.

Meat in the Bigger Picture

Meat is a significant purine source, but how much it matters for your gout depends on several other factors:

Portion size matters as much as concentration. For a side-by-side comparison across all food groups, see our purine food chart. A 90g serving of chicken breast delivers about 104mg of purines. A 225g steak delivers about 304mg. Controlling portion size is often more practical than eliminating meat entirely.

Your kidney excretion capacity matters more. If your kidneys efficiently clear uric acid, moderate meat consumption may not cause problems. If you are an under-excreter (as roughly 90% of gout patients are), even moderate purine intake adds to an already-overburdened system.

What you eat alongside meat matters. A meat meal with plenty of water, vegetables, and low-fat dairy is different from meat with beer, fries, and sugary soda. The accompanying foods affect hydration, insulin response, and overall uric acid metabolism.

Urica tracks purine content from meat and all other foods alongside fructose, hydration, and flare data, helping you understand how your specific meat consumption patterns relate to your personal gout experience. Because a chicken breast may be perfectly fine for one person and problematic for another, and the only way to know is through consistent tracking over time.

This article is for educational purposes only and is not medical advice. Always consult your doctor or rheumatologist about managing gout, especially regarding medication and treatment plans.