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USDA revises cooking temp for pork
Published: 5/24/2011 10:57 AM
Last Modified: 5/24/2011 10:57 AM

The USDA announced today it is lowering the recommended safe cooking temperature for whole cuts of pork from 160 degrees to 145 degrees and adding a recommended three-minute rest time.

Many chefs and home cooks have found the USDA's former recommendation to be too stiff. Of course, many skipped the recommendation and followed guidelines found in cookbooks, which often recommend somewhere between 145 to 160 degrees for pork.

Cooking whole pork, such as pork tenderloin, to 160 degrees can result in a tough, overcooked cut of meat.

In the announcement, the USDA said the new recommendations clarify "long-held perceptions about cooking pork. Historically consumers have viewed the color pink in pork to be a sign of undercooked meat." But, the revision explains, pork cooked to 145 degrees and allowed to rest for three minutes may still be slightly pink but is safe to eat.

The USDA's change does not apply to ground meat, including pork and beef, which should be cooked to 160 degrees.

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Jaxxon (last year)

Is there a link to this announcement on teh USDA website?

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Food Writer Nicole Marshall Middleton joined the Tulsa World in May 1993 after graduating from Oklahoma State University. She has covered crime, city government and general assignment beats during that time - but mostly crime. But when she isn’t at work, Nicole is a devoted food hobbyist. She enjoys meal planning and cooking with her husband, Steve, every day of the week and on holidays it’s a family affair. When the opportunity to become the food writer at the Tulsa World presented itself in the summer of 2011, Nicole jumped at it. She is excited to explore a new side of Tulsa and make the transition from crime to cuisine. .

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