Cooking pork medium rare?!


Question: You always hear the warnings about not eating under cooked pork and chicken because of the danger of bacteria. they go on and on about how it has to be well done, yet I have seen several cooking shows like Iron Chef and a few other shows where they serve pork loin cut in medalions and it is medium rare with a raw to pink center.

it is not a mistake because the judges always talk about how the pork was cooked to perfection.

how is this ok?


Answers: You always hear the warnings about not eating under cooked pork and chicken because of the danger of bacteria. they go on and on about how it has to be well done, yet I have seen several cooking shows like Iron Chef and a few other shows where they serve pork loin cut in medalions and it is medium rare with a raw to pink center.

it is not a mistake because the judges always talk about how the pork was cooked to perfection.

how is this ok?

I read an article on this very subject recently. It really is a myth that pork needs to be well done. I believe it was the case MANY years ago because of the way pigs were raised and the way the pork was cured. The parasites that were prevalent back in those days are very unlikely to exist in pork today. Most chefs recommend cooking pork to a temperature in the 140's, not 170+ like it was way back. Bacteria (trichinosis) dies at 137 degrees. Cooking a little less allows for MUCH more tender and more most pork dishes. Basically cooking to 170 deg is no safer than cooking at 140 degrees. Dead bacteria is dead bacteria... and it dies at 137.

Maybe they know how fresh the pork is and that it has been refrigerated well. The best way to tell if it is done is with a meat thermometer.
I would not recommend eating rare pork or any meat, even beef.

Trichinosis (the bacteria common in raw pork) is no longer an issue with pork in the US. It can be served medium rare. However, the health department recommends cooking it until 145 F. (I'm pretty sure that the health department would not write a restaurant up for serving medium rare pork).

I have worked in restaurants for years. I tried serving a pork prime rib offered at medium rare, but none of the customers wanted it. It still isn't very popular here. But I do predict that within the next 10 years the public will go for it.

It used to be that pork had to be cooked thoroughly because pork was known to harbor all types of bad microbes. But with current processes, the meat - if it comes from a reputable butcher - is fine when it is rare, medium rare etc.

Pork properly cooked (Today's Pork) is cooked at 144Deg F(Some pink) When i cook pan seared oven finished thick pork chops , I cook them to 127F deg and let Carry-over cooking take them the rest of the way tented with aluminum foil (Brined first) tender and juicy . This is not the 1900's with poor animal care and dicey shipping practices Today's super lean pork when cooked "well done" is so dry you can't eat it let alone enjoy it..

Pork is safe SAFE SAFE SAFE medium rare NOT RARE.
Chicken is deadly ::salmonella
This ends the debate

I would not eat rare pork unless you want to be the host of some trichinosis parasites. Pork is one dish meant to be cooked well done...Health 101

If a pig wallows in mud he can be infected with the parasite...it is not a bacteria it is a worm....that will get in the blood stream and burrow in the lung tissues and cause pain in the rib cage, as well as other parts of the muscle tissues





The consumer Foods information on foodaq.com is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for medical advice or treatment for any medical conditions.
The answer content post by the user, if contains the copyright content please contact us, we will immediately remove it.
Copyright © 2007 FoodAQ - Terms of Use - Contact us - Privacy Policy

Food's Q&A Resources