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So, we had pork chops tonight, and got into a raging "discussion" on the "doneness" of pork. As proof, I have the above website, pork does not have to be cooked to the consistency of beef jerky.
What do you think? Pink pork is okay. Pink pork is not okay.
Pink is OK as long as you can trust that it is from hogs raised in controlled environment, as is the case with any pork commercially sold in a market. Hogs are trichinosis-free as long as they do not have access to eating dead rats, which are the actual vectors of trichinosis.
That was not always the case, and free-range pork cannot be eaten pink. Hence the folklore about eating raw pork.
As for other risks of pathogen exposure, pork is no different from any other meat. If you don't mind eating rare beef, then you won't mind eating rare pork.
Cured pork, such as bacon or salami, does not need to be cooked at all, as the curing process renders it just as safe as cooking, in addition to giving it long shelf life. I love raw bacon.
Pink is okay.
But DH has two recipes - a soy-lemon and a Parmesan-crusted - for pork chops that keep them moist even if you cook them to well-done. (I have been known to suck on the bones for that last bit of flavour!) Not all meat has to be a tug-boat-mat consistency for it to be well-done!
Maybe I should have expanded my poll to include other meat. Because I think turkey is oaky a bit pink too, it does not need to be cooked to "beef jerky" either. I don't know, with all this food safety issues...I don't eat much meat, or cook it too much. But I think chicken is okay when there are some juices. It is so variable, preferences on cooking meat...and eggs for that matter.
Pink Yea as long as it hits the correct temp of 160. Remember to take the meat off the fire or out of the heat when it hits 153-155 as it will continue to rise to about 160. That's how you get pink juicy meat without drying it out. Plus the resting period of 10-30 minutes depending on the size of the piece of meat in question. Brining before cooking will also produce wonderful tender and juicy pink meat.
So, we had pork chops tonight, and got into a raging "discussion" on the "doneness" of pork. As proof, I have the above website, pork does not have to be cooked to the consistency of beef jerky.
What do you think? Pink pork is okay. Pink pork is not okay.
A little pink is perfectally ok, in fact it is good and should give you a moist piece of meat. When it is cooked to white all the way through it can be dry. I think that is why so many of us were not crazy over pork growing up, It was like veggies, usually overcooked.
Nita
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