# Lower Cooking Temps for Pork



## EdB (Feb 28, 2002)

http://shine.yahoo.com/channel/food/pink-pork-wont-kill-you-according-to-the-usda-2488054/

If you're one of those pork connoisseurs who prefers your chop or tenderloin to be pink in the middle, rest assured: As of Tuesday, the USDA says you're in the clear as far as food-borne illness is concerned.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service has lowered its temperature recommendation for cooking pork to 145 degrees -- down from 160. (This means that pork will be held to the same standard as beef, veal, and lamb.) Moreover, it is recommended to let the pork rest for three minutes after removing it from the grill or oven; the temp will continue to rise slightly while killing any remaining pathogens.

Of course, there's an inherent irony in the fact that the USDA is lowering pork's minimum temperature ...

It's that professional chefs have been cooking pork this way FOR YEARS! Now home cooks and backyard barbecuers can finally catch up to the restaurant standard without worry. But the question is: Will they?

The USDA's longstanding 160 degrees recommendation is so ingrained in our minds, it may be difficult for some to adjust to the new temp, explains Rob Weland, a chef at an upscale restaurant in Washington:

People have been taught this for generations and it's going to take a long time to get this removed ... It will be good for the next generation not to be so fearful so they can enjoy pork in a way they may not have been able to in the past.
Pork producers have been lobbying the USDA for years to lower the recommendation, arguing that improved feed and housing methods -- namely, moving hogs into bird- and rodent-proof buildings -- reduced the risk of pathogens and disease. From the consumer point of view, it's surprising to learn they were successful this time around given all the recent horror stories in the media about how factory farms are harmful to animals, the environment, and most important, the public.


----------



## Riva (Aug 10, 2006)

EdB said:


> http://shine.yahoo.com/channel/food/pink-pork-wont-kill-you-according-to-the-usda-2488054/
> 
> If you're one of those pork connoisseurs who prefers your chop or tenderloin to be pink in the middle, rest assured: As of Tuesday, the USDA says you're in the clear as far as food-borne illness is concerned.
> 
> ...


You still need to bring pork shoulder to 200F otherwise, that pork just aint pull'n!


----------



## EdB (Feb 28, 2002)

Couldn't agree more Riva but I think I'll be dropping the temp on pork loins and lean cuts like that going forward. What do you typically do for a pork loin?


----------



## Fishndude (Feb 22, 2003)

The USDA did not make pork safe at lower temps. They merely stated that it is safe at lower cooked internal temp than they used to say it was. Trichinosis is like a rumor that won't go away. It was a concern decades ago. It has not been a concern in commercially prepared pork for a long time. I have been enjoying my prime pork cuts grilled med-rare for many years. Maybe 20 years. 
I think you still need to thoroughly cook Black Bear meat, though.


----------



## Riva (Aug 10, 2006)

EdB said:


> Couldn't agree more Riva but I think I'll be dropping the temp on pork loins and lean cuts like that going forward. What do you typically do for a pork loin?



I have a great stuffed pork loin recipe. I'll dig it up and post it


----------



## Blaze (Oct 13, 2005)

Good to know information, Thanks!

I smell pork on the Barby!!!


----------



## Mister ED (Apr 3, 2006)

Fishndude said:


> Trichinosis is like a rumor that won't go away. It was a concern decades ago. It has not been a concern in commercially prepared pork for a long time.


 Exactly .... Trichinae dies at 138 (actually I think it is 138 for 1 min). 30 years ago we were smoking pork items (comercial USDA processor) to an internal of 138 ... and this had been the practice for years. Furthermore, we used to smoke ham hocks and shanks to an internal of like 128 or 130 and hold it there for a half hour or so (been a long time).

Even those items that we labled as fully cooked, were only cooked to a 148 internal temp (maybe it was 146) ... again industry standard. Always thought it was stupid that comercial processors could cook pork to a much lower temp ... but the USDA kept the recomendation at 160 for the end users.

Also, raw pork used to be able to be certified as trichinae free if it was held at -10 for a certian number of days (again ... been too long to remember the particulars).


----------



## Hunter333 (Jan 19, 2000)

There are people that adhere to those "guidelines?" Kidding I know there are folks that stick to them. For me and those that I serve food to, when it is done it is done! As for pullin, the higher the internal temp the better given that it is not TOO cooked! Looking forward to smokin a shoulder this weekend!! I can taste it already 

What in the world did cooks do before there were thermometers and USDA guidelines?


----------



## alex-v (Mar 24, 2005)

EdB said:


> http://shine.yahoo.com/channel/food/pink-pork-wont-kill-you-according-to-the-usda-2488054/
> ............
> It's that professional chefs have been cooking pork this way FOR YEARS! Now home cooks and backyard barbecuers can finally catch up to the restaurant standard without worry.


For years??? It has been about 20 plus years and finally the USDA catches up with what the rest of the world already is aware of.



Riva said:


> You still need to bring pork shoulder to 200F otherwise, that pork just aint pull'n


I always thought that it was long, slow and low.


----------

