What are safe guidelines for cooking everyday Pork like bacon or pork chops (see details)?

When I was a kid (like 40 years ago), I got sick from eating some bacon that was uncooked, or nearly so. After that incident, my mother made it her personal mission to cook any pork product that came in our house so that it resembled the texture (and taste) of shoe leather. A few years ago, I tried a Pork Chop recipe from Bon Apetit, and I seem to recall there being something in the accompanying article that said there used to be more of a threat that pork could contain some type of "tricho" bacteria (?) or something, but that it was not so much of a threat anymore.

Hence, in their opinion, we could all enjoy juicy morsels of pork safely. Lately, I've tried these packets of bacon from the grocery store. They are uncooked slices, but come in their own plastic bag that cooks and (I guess) steams them into submission.

When I cook these at the lower end of the suggested cooking time (2 min), they sure do look rare. Was Mom right, should I cook the crap out of pork to be safe? Asked by HankMoody 46 months ago Similar questions: safe guidelines cooking everyday Pork bacon pork chops details Food & Drink > Cooking.

Similar questions: safe guidelines cooking everyday Pork bacon pork chops details.

Not any more Your chance of getting trichinosis from pork is vanishingly small these days. Pigs are kept under strict controls to keep bacteria (and nosy visitors) out, and fed antibiotics to be doubly sure (and to make them grow faster, because they're not putting energy into immune systems. ) Trichinosis is a parasite, not a bacterium, which actually makes it really hard to get rid of.

You really don't want it; the symptoms are deeply unpleasant. While you're unlikely to get it from commercial pork, it's very common in game. So you do have to cook the bejeezus out of a bear or wild boar.

There are other bacteria, like Enterococci, that can grow on pork, but they all die at 140 degrees. (The USDA recommends 144 instead, to give you a margin of error. ) That's actually a pretty good temperature to cook pork to, not overdone.

They used to recommend 165, which is decidedly overdone. (Fatty wild bear, however, is actually better done up to 165 or even 180. ) They similarly lowered the temperature on chicken from an incinerated 180 to 165, which is actually underdone to my tastes.

Overdoneness is especially bad for modern pork. The pork you had 40 years ago had a lot more fat and a lot more flavor. When people started panicking about fat, they started breeding leaner pigs.

Those lean pigs are nearly flavorless. Ground pork is more of a problem than whole pork, since bacteria only grow on the surface. The surface will reach high temperatures relatively quickly, especially if you sear it.

Professional food inspectors use a $80 Thermapen to tell the temperature. (Actual cooks just judge the doneness by touching the meat, but you have to cook a few dozen pork chops before you get the feel. ) I like the $30 probe thermometers.

They're good for roasts, but most commercial pork chops are too thin for the probe, so I just judge by feel. Those chops are so thin that it's hard to undercook them these days. And if they come out a bit rare in the center... well, the odds are actually insanely low of having problems, as long as you've cooked the surfaces.

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Nope Once upon a time you had to cook the crap out of pork to kill the trichinosis parasites which could be very nasty. That has been pretty much wiped out in the US these days due to changes in pork raising and feeds. You can cook pork purchased from reputable sources just to the point where it is white all the way through and be safe.

Because the fat content of modern pork is usually lower than in the old days, you can make shoe leather out of it very quickly so quick cooking is best for a tender result. Sources: askthemeatman.com/pork_Trichinosis.htm JBENZ's Recommendations Bruce Aidells's Complete Book of Pork: A Guide to Buying, Storing, and Cooking the World's Favorite Meat Amazon List Price: $29.95 Used from: $2.86 Average Customer Rating: 4.5 out of 5 (based on 3 reviews) Pork (The Good Cook Techniques & Recipes Series) Amazon List Price: $19.93 Used from: $1.42 Average Customer Rating: 5.0 out of 5 (based on 1 reviews) .

Pork is too good to not eat The parasite that caused trichinosis is very rare in today's pork products. That's due to modern farming methods that eliminate the porcines from coming into contact with the source of the bug which was mainly the mud and other areas that had been exposed to waste materials from the animals. It is always a good idea to cook meat to a level of done-ness that will ensure a measure of safety, but cooking pork until it looks, tastes and chews like shoe leather is completely unnecessary.

For pork chops, I'd recommend cooking them to an internal temperature of 155 (minimum) which will still leave some pink in the center but it won't be bloody. It also won't be nearly as dry. For bacon, first of all, I'd recommend you buy regular, normal bacon.

There are several ways to cook it and many of today's cooks suggest doing so in the oven. Bacon is supposed to be crisp, so steaming is a bad idea -- in my opinion. The microwave is also a less-than-perfect way to cook bacon -- again, in my opinion.To cook it in the oven, you place it on a rack which is on top of a rimmed (to hold the fat) cookie sheet.

Bake it at 350 for 10 to 15 minutes. You'll get crispy bacon with most of the fat drained off into the pan. I still cook my bacon in a frying pan.

Mostly because I don't want to get another pan dirty and I'm usually going to be cooking some eggs and or potatoes at the same time. I've done the oven method when I was cooking about 2 pounds of bacon one time for a "BLT sandwich buffet" and it worked very well. Ham, picnic shoulders, pork roasts, loin, bacon, sausage, chops... there are just SO MANY pork products and even more tasty ways to cook them.

Don't give up on pork... it's the other white meat you know! Bon Appetit!.

I like my chops medium well... I love the crunchy well seasoned fat that is still attached to the chops as well as the chops to be a little crunchy! Health Professionals don't recommend over cooking any protein sources! Pork is best cooked to medium 160 deg.

F or a little pink. They also say that modern feeding of the pigs has eliminated (TRICHNOSIS) which is normally killed at about 137 deg. F!

Don't mix the facts when you some how get your hands on wild boar, this has to be handled as if it does have Trichinosis and must be cooked to 137 deg! OH YUK, I can't stand white limp bacon. It tastes so much better when cooked to light to medium brown and really crispy!

No you don't have to cook meat into submission, the best way to find what you like is through lots of trial and error cooking. Following the info above cook the chops or pork until slightly brown and pink inside if you like a little crispness let it cook a minute or two longer! As for bacon close attention is called for due to the constant flipping of the slices to prevent burning, you will find light brown and crispy very tasty!

Sources: Personal Experience .

Not anymore. The purpose of cooking pork to the consistancy of a leather shoe sole was to kill 'Tape Worm' eggs. In the old days pigs were grown to be very large and fat prior to slaughtering (400 - 700 lbs generally), and due to the cost of medicines were rarely treated for worms.

Basically, in the 60's, laws a regulations required the pork industry to eliminate the 'Tape Worm' problem. The required use of deworming meds has made pork quite safe when cooked so it is tender and edible. In the 80's, the drive to reduce the consumption of saturated fats drove the pork industy to requiring less fat hogs.

Today pigs are slaughtered when in the 200-300 lb. Range instead of the above weight range. There is only one safe way to cook any form of meat and that is to a proper temperature.

Determining doneness by appearance and/or feel is very deceiving and dangerous. Buying and using a good 'Instant Read' meat thermometer can and is a life saver. Cooking any meat to its proper temp will kill or incapicate harmful bacteria and parasites.

I have seen many cooking shows where the 'so-called' chefs state you can eat pork cooked to rare or medium-rare. This is bad information. Even the pork industry recommends you only eat pork cooked to a temp range of 160ºF - 170ºF.

At this temp range the pork is thoroughly cooked but remains juicey and tender. Just remember to remove the pork from the heat when it is 10ºF lower than the desired temp. When the meat is covered and allowed to rest for 10-20 minutes prior to serving the meat will continue to cook until it reaches the proper temp.

This will also allow the juices to redistribute throughout the meat. Small cuts like pork chops should be cooked to within 5º of proper temp, covered and allowed to rest 5-10 minutes prior to serving. Here is a Google listing of many site about proper meat cooking temperatures: http://www.google.com/search?q=Meat+cooking+temperatures%3F%3B&sourceid=ie7&rls=com.microsoft:en-US&ie=utf8&oe=utf8 Cooking bacon is different since it is so thin.

I like my bacon to be crispy. There is a fine line between crispy bacon and burnt bacon. The amount of heat mainly determins if the bacon is crispy or burnt.Gh heat usually results in either underdone or burnt bacon.

Gh heat will usually cook the meat very fast but leave the fat underdone and disgusting. If you cook it until the fat is edible, the meat will be burnt. I cook my bacon using medium or medium-low heat.

The little extra time it takes to cook results in bacon cooked to my tastes.

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Does anyone have a great recipe on cooking a nice dinner with Pork.

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