Recommended Pork Cooking Temperatures

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One of the most frequent questions I get about cooking meat is about safe pork cooking temps. Over the past few years, the recommendations have changed and there’s been a bit of confusion.

Pork Cooking Temp

145°F with a 3-minute rest provides the optimal eating experience and is the minimum safe internal pork cooking temperature provided by USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service.

I can not encourage you enough to take the time to learn how to use a meat thermometer and try cooking pork to medium-rare or medium. The difference in taste, texture, and flavor just might blow your mind.

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The recommended cooking temperature for pork used to be 160°F; for every cut, for every single type of pork. Now, thanks to all of the biosecurity measures and the animal health issues that are of so much importance in the pork industry, we have healthier and safer pork to eat at lower temperatures.

That means that we can safely eat pork cooked to a juicy and never dried out 145°F. And THAT, my friends, is delicious pork.

Per The National Pork Board, the recommendations for cooking pork chops, pork roasts, and tenderloin is to an internal temperature of 145° F, followed by a three-minute rest.

Safe Pork Cooking Temp - read more at barefeetinthekitchen.com

Ground pork should always be cooked to 160° F. Doneness for some pork cuts, such as small cuts that are difficult to test with a thermometer or large cuts that cook slowly at low temperatures, is designated as “tender.” Pre-cooked ham can be reheated to 140° F or even enjoyed cold, while fresh ham should be cooked to 145° F.

Adhering to these pork cooking temperature guidelines will result in an optimum eating experience of enhanced flavor and safety. The National Pork Board follows the guidance of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).

How to Choose Pork at the Grocery Store - read more at barefeetinthekitchen.com

How to Choose Pork in the Grocery Store

Here are a few pork-buying tips for you. Remember three little words when you’re in the grocery store, “redder is better.” Look for meats that are red, firm, and without excess liquids in the package.

If there are a lot of juices from the meat in the package, that is literally flavor that is no longer in the meat. If the pork is pale with a lot of liquids in the package, that’s not the optimal pork you’ll want to purchase.

By nature, pork shoulder roasts are redder. There’s already a good amount of fat in pork roasts. (Don’t panic, fat is good and it means that the meat will have lots of flavor.) However, when shopping for a pork shoulder, picnic, or butt roast, you want to look for less fat, simply because the fat dissolves as it cooks and the final yield will go down.

One final note: Pork shoulder roast = a picnic roast + a butt roast. A “butt” roast is not from the butt of the pig. Pork shoulders and pork butts used to be shipped, packed in salt, in a barrel called a butt. Regardless of the name, all three roasts are cooked the same way. I typically just buy whichever one is on sale.

Visiting pig farms with the National Pork Board - read more at barefeetinthekitchen.com

Ever wonder why “bunny suits” are used when someone is working with pigs? I talked a little bit last year about the biosecurity and safety measures used when we visited the farms.; even going so far as to shower from head to toe when entering and exiting the facilities.

Before I visited the pigs on the farm and saw the day to day work that goes into maintaining their environments, I was relatively clueless. Biosecurity is just a fancy word for “keeping pigs from getting sick.”

The cleanliness of the barns and stalls also helps minimize the risk of disease and illness. That concrete floor you see is key to preventing a lot of the illnesses that used to occur with pig farming. As it turns out, concrete trumps dirt in a huge way when it comes to preventing the spread of germs.

The filtering systems pictured below all contribute to the biosecurity of pig farming today. This keeps the pigs healthier. It helps prevent disease and having to treat pigs with medicines. The cool water filtration system on the wall of the barn below both purifies the air going into the barns and also cools the air inside the facilities.

High tech biosecurity and safety measures are taken in the care and feeding of the animals in the pork industry today - read more at barefeetinthekitchen.com

Filtering, vaccines, and antibiotics all improve the quality of life for the pigs. No one ever jumps to give medicine to an animal, but if it needs to be done, it is administered. If an animal does need to be given an antibiotic, it’s tracked and closely documented.

If any meat is tested by the USDA at the processing plant with ANY residue of medicine it is flagged and the meat is discarded. If a farm is flagged a second time, they are no longer allowed to process their animals.

So, there is literally no way for antibiotics to be present in the meats that we purchase at the grocery store.

Cool water filtration system both purifies the air going into the barns and also cools the air inside the facilities - read more at barefeetinthekitchen.com

The end result of all of these safety measures has helped make today’s lower temp cooking methods safe and also improved the pork’s taste in the end as well. Just about any pork purchased from a major store today that has been industrially processed is safe to cook to 145.

Please note that there is a caveat for that cooking temp. If the meat you’re buying is “enhanced” or “seasoned,” it has likely been injected with flavors or seasonings.

There’s nothing wrong or dangerous about injecting the meat with flavors, but you’ll want to cook it to a higher temperature to err on the safe side since you’re no longer working with a pure cut of meat.

Visiting pig farms with the National Pork Board - read more at barefeetinthekitchen.com

{originally published 10/3/18 – notes and photos updated 2/18/22}

If you have any questions or would like to learn more about pig farming in general, you can find out more at Pork.org.

Disclosure: I’ve partnered with National Pork Board to share this information with you. The graphics shared are courtesy of pork.org. Pig photo by @sowmomma. As always, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

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Mary Younkin

Mary Younkin

Hi, I’m Mary. I’m the author, cook, photographer, and travel lover behind the scenes here at Barefeet In The Kitchen. I'm also the author of three cookbooks dedicated to making cooking from scratch as simple as possible.

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  1. Niki says

    A hit pork dish is my double crunch honey garlic
    Ny pork chops. I make a flour based coating with a ton of yummy spices like nutmeg and sage and more! To make it super crunchy I Dry the chops with paper towels lightly and salt and pepper both sides. Then I put them in a ziplock full of the spiced flour mixture and shake, 2 at a time. Dip both sides in egg and water and then back into the flour again. Cook in about 3 inches of canola oil until crispy. To make the sauce for them, I use honey, fresh garlic and soy sauce and other spices. This is what will give your dish that WOW! factor. After boiling the sauce for 5 minutes let it sit for 5 minutes to thicken. I serve with mashed potato’s and steak house green beans. It’s amazing and my family eats all of it.

  2. MaryB says

    We love good old fashioned pork rost, especially with the cracklin’s left on! Carnitas, pork tenderloin, pork stir fry, you name it. We are big pork eaters here.

  3. Christine Fields says

    My favorite way to eat pork is slow roasted on our pellet grill , we cook it very long so it is done so we can use the leftovers for pulled pork. Delicious.

  4. Mary F Brown says

    Pork tenderloin oven roasted with a simple rub and then we have lunch or dinners for a few days.
    also love this post and your blog Mary, Thanks for all the great recipes.

  5. Tim says

    My favorite way to eat pork is as a breaded pork chop. That was almost the only way we used to eat them. I also like to broil a pork tenderloin. You can season it an endless number of ways.

  6. Amanda LaRive says

    I love smothered pork chops dark brown gravy over rice with a side of corn cooked down in butter seasoned with a little bit of Tony’s!

  7. Anne says

    A few years ago I accidentally came upon one of your recipes and then started following your blog. While the recipes are wonderful it is the “supporting cast” of all you write about that has made this one of my favorites. So glad all is well at your home now.