If the grilled pork tenderloin you ordered appears to be a bit pink, there’s no reason to send it back to be cooked a bit more.
The official internal temperature recommended for consumers to safely cook pork has been lowered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to 145 degrees Fahrenheit, from the old standard of 160 degrees.
“It’s a good thing and it’s about time,” said corporate executive chef Tom McEachern of Ray’s Restaurants. “Pork should taste like pork, not sawdust.”
McEachern, who was chopped recently from the TV Food Network’s chef competition series “Chopped,” met his downfall when judges declared his boar chop too raw. At Ray’s on the River, he’ll cook your boar chop anyway you like it; but he prefers it with a pink center.
Three-minute resting time
It seems the battle over how best to cook a pork chop still involves a lot of personal preference.
“If you like your pork without any pink, ask the chef to cook to 160 degrees,” advised Diane Van, manager of the USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline.
She said the new minimum standard of 145 degrees is enough to kill bacteria and keeps the pork juicy and tender. “Pork today is a lot leaner than it used to be. When pork is overcooked, it’s dry. Use a meat thermometer to ensure the quality and safety of the meat, and you’ll have a moist, delicious piece of meat.”
But, once your pork loin or roast registers 145 degrees on a meat thermometer, it’s still not time to dig in -- the meat has to rest.
“More than the 145 temperature is the importance of the three-minute resting time so that the temperature rises and destroys more pathogens,” cautioned Cici Williamson, USDA food safety specialist. “Of course, knowing that the meat has reached 145 requires owning a food thermometer, which the vast majority of households do not own.”
Both the USDA and the National Pork Board recommend using a digital cooking thermometer to ensure an accurate final temperature. But don’t pack it in your bag when dining out. While it's good advice for home cooks, Van said it's not practical for dining out. “The temperature could have reached 145 in the kitchen, but by the time it gets to your table, it’s too far from the heat source. You can’t rely on checking it yourself.”
The 145 minimum is not new to restaurants; that’s been the food service recommendation for a decade.
Executive chef Carvel Gould of Canoe restaurant knows some diners need a little reassurance. “We have always purchased high-quality, 'boutique' pork at Canoe. We are always careful to advise our guests that we serve our pork "medium /pink." I have always been confident in the integrity of our pork producers and feel secure in the 145.”
In the pink
The pink color of pork can be due to cooking methods, too. Matt Coggin of D.B.A. Barbecue said, “Meat that’s smoked is a pink color. It’s supposed to be pink. Even smoked chicken is pink; it doesn’t mean it’s undercooked.”
American producers’ improved feeding and breeding practices have not only cut the fat in pork by 16 percent, they’ve eliminated trichinosis.
Van confirmed, “Consumers don’t have to be concerned anymore. They don’t have to worry about trichinosis.”
Executive chef Jay Swift of 4th & Swift Restaurant said it’s a small percentage of customers who send the plate back with a request to cook their pork some more. “I believe using a thermometer to get it right is important as far as optimal temperature safety zone and achieving a moist, tender flavor.”
The USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline staff would be proud of him.
Remember 3: Three Internal Temps and Three Minutes More for Meats
145 degrees Fahrenheit: Meats including pork, beef and lamb with three-minute holding time
160 degrees Fahrenheit: All ground meats, including ground pork.
165 degrees Fahrenheit: All poultry.
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