The USDA Revises Their Long Held Beliefs For Pork Cooking Temperatures
The USDA revises their recommendations for pork cooking temperatures downward.
The USDA revised pork cooking temperature is now 145°F with a 3 minute holding period once the food has been removed from your heat source, like a grill, smoker or stove. This is lower than the previously recommended temperature of 160°F with no holding period.
This new temperature is recommended for whole cuts of meats which would include roasts, tenderloin, pork loin, chops, steaks and ribs. It also covers fresh uncured ham and country style ribs.
This does not apply to ground meats like ground pork, beef, lamb and veal. These should still be cooked to 160°F. Chicken should still be cooked to 165°F as previously recommended.
Their thought on this was it would be easier for the consumer to remember a single temperature with a uniform resting period of three minutes.
The USDA has determined that this is just as safe a way to cook your pork than the old way with the higher temperature and no holding period. This might affect some of your foods that you would put in your smoker or on your grill, like pork chops, pork steaks, pork loin, tenderloin, country style ribs and fresh uncured ham, but that might be about it. Cooking Other cuts of meat in your smoker might not change at all.
Using a Quality Thermometer
Using the color of your meat to determine if it is safe or not will not work anymore. In the old days we were taught if the pork was pink in the middle it wasn't cooked enough. That rule no longer holds true with this revision.
You really do need to use a good thermometer to know when you have reached the proper pork cooking temperatures. You should place the thermometer in the thickest part of the meat and when the temperature reaches 145°F you can take it off of the grill or out of your smoker and let it sit for the prescribed 3 minutes.
The 3 Minute Waiting period
This 3 minute waiting time is basically the amount of time your food sits at its final temperature once it has been removed from your grill or smoker.
During this time your food will remain at a constant temperature (145°F) or even increase in temperature a little bit. The reason for this wait is to give the heat in the meat time to kill any pathogens that might be present.
We actually teach about this and more in our book about food safety tips. Just follow this link to read and download that book for free.
Return from pork cooking temperatures to backyard safety
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