I notice quite a variety for internal temps for recipes for pork roast.
Shouldn't an internal temp of 140 (when you take it out of the oven,
grill, roaster, etc) be sufficient to kill any possible germs? Of course,
resting will bring that temperature up 5-10 degrees...

------------------------------------------------------------------------
Andy Yee E-Mail: ayee AT mn dot rr dot com
President Home Page: http://home.mn.rr.com/andyyee
New Directions Engineering, Inc.

Godwin's Law: As a USENET thread grows, the probability of a reference
to Hitler or Nazis approaches 1.00.
Corollary: When such a reference is made, it is generally
recognized that the poster has LOST the argument.

Andy Yee wrote:

> I notice quite a variety for internal temps for recipes for pork roast.
> Shouldn't an internal temp of 140 (when you take it out of the oven,
> grill, roaster, etc) be sufficient to kill any possible germs? Of course,
> resting will bring that temperature up 5-10 degrees...

The instant kill temp for trichinella (the orgranism
that causes trichinosis) is 144 F, but in practice
it will be dead even below that. Finishing pork at
140 F is safe, especially taking into account
overshoot.

---------------------------------------------------
Minimum internal temperature
--------------------------------------------------
Degrees Minimum time
Degrees fahrenheit centigrade
---------------------------------------------------------------
120.................................. 49.0 21 hours.
122.................................. 50.0 9.5 hours.
124.................................. 51.1 4.5 hours.
126.................................. 52.2 2 hours.
128.................................. 53.4 1 hour.
130.................................. 54.5 30 minutes.
132.................................. 55.6 15 minutes.
134.................................. 56.7 6 minutes.
136.................................. 57.8 3 minutes.
138.................................. 58.9 2 minutes.
140.................................. 60.0 1 minute.
142.................................. 61.1 1 minute.
144.................................. 62.2 Instant.
---------------------------------------------------------------

<http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/get-cfr.cgi?TITLE=9&PART=318&SECTION=10&YEAR=1998&TYPE =TEXT>

--
Reg email: RegForte (at) (that free MS email service) (dot) com

Andy,

State law (Michigan Health Dept) requires pork be cooked to an internal
temp of 145 degrees (165 degrees for ground beef, poultry or any
reheated, pre-cooked foods). This may be a federal law, for all I
know.

-Ron

MasterChef wrote:
> Andy,
>
> State law (Michigan Health Dept) requires pork be cooked to an internal
> temp of 145 degrees (165 degrees for ground beef, poultry or any
> reheated, pre-cooked foods). This may be a federal law, for all I
> know.

There are no laws anywhere for how to cook at home, though. That 165°
business you've cited is certainly not universal.

Pork cooked to 140° will be medium and it will bleed. Most Americans
have heard for so long and so often how wrong that is, that most won't
eat it.

Now that pork is so lean, it can't be cooked well-done the way it was
done 40 years ago. I cook whole loins to 130°, let them rest a few
minutes and carve. The meat is tender, moist and tasty. I'm not saying
that everybody should do that; it's what I like. Cold and thinly sliced,
it makes great sandwiches. Shoulders and fresh hams are fattier and can
benefit from a longer, higher temp finish. Or take them all the way to
well-done with appropriate technique and pull for BBQ.

Pastorio

On 9 Oct 2005 00:53:06 -0700, "MasterChef" >
wrote:

>State law (Michigan Health Dept) requires pork be cooked to an internal
>temp of 145 degrees

Do they post a sherriff's deputy in every kitchen to enforce this law?


The Fine Art of Cooking involves personal choice.
Many preferences, ingredients, and procedures
may not be consistent with what you know to be true.
As with any recipe, you may find your personal
intervention will be necessary. Bon Appetit!

165 degrees relates to pre-cooked foods that are being reheated for
service, or to poultry. Professional cooks often cater to senior
citizens, children, people experiencing chemotherapy or those with HIV.
Many people have weakened immune systems, and much of the population is
becomming resistent to antibiotics. Fearing the ever-present threat of
law suits, we have no choice but to put (food) safety first.

It is useful for home cooks to understand these principles, and to make
informed decisions.

-Ron

Ward Abbott wrote:
> On 9 Oct 2005 00:53:06 -0700, "MasterChef" >
> wrote:
>
> >State law (Michigan Health Dept) requires pork be cooked to an internal
> >temp of 145 degrees
>
> Do they post a sherriff's deputy in every kitchen to enforce this law?

'Zactly

> The Fine Art of Cooking involves personal choice.
> Many preferences, ingredients, and procedures
> may not be consistent with what you know to be true.
> As with any recipe, you may find your personal
> intervention will be necessary. Bon Appetit!

Absolutly!

Pork does not benefit from high heat. Grill/roast pork (any cut) at
medium heat, no more than 325=BAF. Never ever use a meat thermometer
with pork... cooked at med. temp and by *time* even the leanest loin
cut will cook moist and tender. Anyone tells you pork used to contain
more fat knows nothing, only extra fat pork ever had was *exterior*
fat.

Cooking pork correctly requires personal experience, there is no other
way.

Sheldon

Sheldon wrote:

> Pork does not benefit from high heat. Grill/roast pork (any cut) at
> medium heat, no more than 325ºF. Never ever use a meat thermometer
> with pork...

In a world-class pantheon of Shecky's stupid assertions, this may well
be the stupidest. Only a blowhole amateur caught up in his own effluvium
could possibly offer this as good advice.

> cooked at med. temp and by *time* even the leanest loin cut will cook
> moist and tender.

Nonsense. For all the same reasons people are told to use a thermometer
with beef. Size of piece, shape, fat content, accuracy of the oven,
bones, temperature of the piece of meat before popping into the oven...
are all issues that, with anything but a thermometer, sponsor pure
guesswork when it comes to cooking.

Amateurish claptrap.

> Anyone tells you pork used to contain more fat knows nothing, only
> extra fat pork ever had was *exterior* fat.

Sure. And the idiocy and bad information just gets richer. What's
exterior fat? Pork cuts are separated pieces of whole muscle. Fat
accumulates around muscles, the exteriors of them, one could say - and
*in* them, as well. In beef, we talk about marbelling. Same with pork.
Same with all mammal meats.

Tell that *exterior* fat nonsense to the next piece of bacon you see.

From Harold McGee, "On Food and Cooking" pp 139
"Like modern beef, modern pork comes from much younger and leaner
animals than was true a century ago. Pigs are typically slaughtered at
six months and 220lb/100kg, just as they reach sexual maturity,when the
connective tissue is still relatively soluble and the meat tender.
Individual cuts of American and European pork generally contain half to
a fifth of the fat they did in 1980."

> Cooking pork correctly requires personal experience, there is no
> other way.

Flat out bullshit. But what's new...?

Pastorio

In article .com>,
"Sheldon" > wrote:

--snip--

> Pork does not benefit from high heat. Grill/roast pork (any cut) at
> medium heat, no more than 325ºF. Never ever use a meat thermometer
> with pork... cooked at med. temp and by *time* even the leanest loin
> cut will cook moist and tender.

If you cook pork (or any other meat) by time alone, how can you possibly
compensate for as much as a 40 or 50 degree variation in internal
temperature (right out of the fridge, or at room temp) when you start?

Isaac

Isaac Wingfield wrote:

> "Sheldon" > wrote:
>
> --snip--
>
>>Pork does not benefit from high heat. Grill/roast pork (any cut) at
>>medium heat, no more than 325ºF. Never ever use a meat thermometer
>>with pork... cooked at med. temp and by *time* even the leanest loin
>>cut will cook moist and tender.
>
> If you cook pork (or any other meat) by time alone, how can you possibly
> compensate for as much as a 40 or 50 degree variation in internal
> temperature (right out of the fridge, or at room temp) when you start?

You can't. Which is your very correct point.

It's just Sheldon scrambling for attention again.

Pastorio