Pink pork won't kill you according to the USDA

[mstng86]

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.

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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.

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But if there's nothing worse to you than a piece of overcooked pork, news about the lower temp recommendation will surely make your day. Bring on the pink pork!

[kingjason]

I have been using 150 for a while. Leaves it nice and juicy with just a little pinkness not much.

[bcoop]

USDA is retarded.

[mstng86]

USDA is retarded.

So your saying you will still cook your pork to 160? I will eat a pork loin if it is just a bit pink inside.

[bcoop]

So your saying you will still cook your pork to 160? I will eat a pork loin if it is just a bit pink inside.

No, I'm saying this should have been done long ago. When I cook pork for anyone other than me, I cook to 165. Because people will freak the fuck out if I don't, due to the pinkness. I still have people freaking the fuck out over a rare or medium steak. Sorry, fuckers, I refuse to serve dried out flavorless leather. You'll be fine, I promise!

That said, when I smoke a loin or a shoulder, I cook to 190. It's not a food safety thing though. It's because the higher you let the temp get on a meaty cut like that, the more collagen and connective tissue will break down, resulting in a more moist product. It has more to do with the lack of direct heat when it comes to smoking.... Cooking a loin on the grill is a whole other story.

[Trick Pony]

Been cooking my pork medium for years.

[red95gts]

I had read that if you freeze the pork long enough, you can cook it really rare and it's still ok. Any truth to that?

[GhostTX]

Not a fan of Trichinosis, so no pink in mine.

[0 GT 2]

Not a fan of Trichinosis, so no pink in mine.

No joke, call me what you want but I'll go better safe than sorry.

[Trick Pony]

Trichinosis isn't much of a concern with farm raised pork in the US. I would definitely recommend cooking wild hogs to well done though.

[BERNIE MOSFET]

No, I'm saying this should have been done long ago. When I cook pork for anyone other than me, I cook to 165. Because people will freak the fuck out if I don't, due to the pinkness. I still have people freaking the fuck out over a rare or medium steak. Sorry, fuckers, I refuse to serve dried out flavorless leather. You'll be fine, I promise!

That said, when I smoke a loin or a shoulder, I cook to 190. It's not a food safety thing though. It's because the higher you let the temp get on a meaty cut like that, the more collagen and connective tissue will break down, resulting in a more moist product. It has more to do with the lack of direct heat when it comes to smoking.... Cooking a loin on the grill is a whole other story.

My old roommate wouldn't eat anything not well done. He's actually really intelligent, logical, and all the explaining I did on food handling and whatnot, he wouldn't budge. I cooked a steak for him once that was medium and he had the audacity to put that motherfucker in the microwave!

I'm willing to bet the change is more due to the pork industry lobbying for changes to boost sales. They had that advertising campaign going for awhile, but they have to overcome years of bad impressions. I have a friend who refuses to eat pork because it's a "dry, tasteless meat". Hell, I grew up thinking pork was terrible.

I've been cooking pork medium-medium well for years. What a world of difference it makes to not overcook it!

[bcoop]

My old roommate wouldn't eat anything not well done. He's actually really intelligent, logical, and all the explaining I did on food handling and whatnot, he wouldn't budge. I cooked a steak for him once that was medium and he had the audacity to put that motherfucker in the microwave!

I'm willing to bet the change is more due to the pork industry lobbying for changes to boost sales. They had that advertising campaign going for awhile, but they have to overcome years of bad impressions. I have a friend who refuses to eat pork because it's a "dry, tasteless meat". Hell, I grew up thinking pork was terrible.

I've been cooking pork medium-medium well for years. What a world of difference it makes to not overcook it!

I take shit like that personally. I'd have grabbed the nuked steak and threw it in the trash. I'm not saying you have to bow at my feet, and sing my praises. But I cook things the way they were intended to be cooked. If you don't want to eat it that way, don't come over for dinner. No sweat off my back. I'll make exceptions for rare or blue, but if you want well done, go waste your own money and cook it yourself.

I can understand not wanting to eat pork because it's a dirty animal, religious reasons, etc. But dry and flavorless? Lmao. Someone can't cook for shit!

[mstng86]

I take shit like that personally. I'd have grabbed the nuked steak and threw it in the trash. I'm not saying you have to bow at my feet, and sing my praises. But I cook things the way they were intended to be cooked. If you don't want to eat it that way, don't come over for dinner. No sweat off my back. I'll make exceptions for rare or blue, but if you want well done, go waste your own money and cook it yourself.

I can understand not wanting to eat pork because it's a dirty animal, religious reasons, etc. But dry and flavorless? Lmao. Someone can't cook for shit!

Chef Brent Ramsey in da' house!!

[BERNIE MOSFET]

I take shit like that personally. I'd have grabbed the nuked steak and threw it in the trash. I'm not saying you have to bow at my feet, and sing my praises. But I cook things the way they were intended to be cooked. If you don't want to eat it that way, don't come over for dinner. No sweat off my back. I'll make exceptions for rare or blue, but if you want well done, go waste your own money and cook it yourself.

I can understand not wanting to eat pork because it's a dirty animal, religious reasons, etc. But dry and flavorless? Lmao. Someone can't cook for shit!

I was a bit upset about it, but I've been around enough people who don't understand culinary arts, and I don't blame them for their ignorance. I had a chef for a roommate for a year, and another friend who was a chef for many years. I picked up a few things, and the mindset that what the chef presents is how it should be eaten really stuck. To do otherwise is very insulting.

Hahaha! Yeah, I'm pretty sure his mother overcooked everything - lasting impressions. What clued me in is his preference for ketchup on just about everything he eats. Food is very utilitarian to him. He'd be happy with a frozen bag of breaded assholes and bottle of ketchup.

[Trick Pony]

What clued me in is his preference for ketchup on just about everything he eats. Food is very utilitarian to him. He'd be happy with a frozen bag of breaded assholes and bottle of ketchup.

Growing up my mom always said people who need ketchup for things other than fries have no taste.