Pork Safety
Practicing some basic pork safety in the kitchen can help maintain sanitary conditions when storing, preparing and cooking pork.
Pork is a tasty, nutritious and low fat meat that can be cooked in a variety of ways. It is full of vitamins such as B1, B2, B6, and B12 as well as the minerals iron and zinc. A 3 oz portion contains only 200 calories with 9 grams of fat, 25 grams of protein and 70 mg cholesterol.
Storing Pork
As with any meat, pork should be frozen on or before the “sell by” date on the package. You can safely freeze pork raw or already cooked and combined in dishes. For best taste, you will want to use any frozen pork within 3 months so mark your frozen packages with a date.
For maximum safety, thaw pork on the refrigerator or microwave. Never thaw meat at room temperature as this is when bacteria can begin to multiply. Pork that is defrosted in the fridge should be used within 5 days but if defrosted in the microwave it is safest to cook it right away.
Store leftover pork in the refrigerator in sealed containers or plastic wrap at 40 degrees or below. For safest handling of leftovers, don’t let the meat sit out on the table for more than 30 minutes after it has been cooked – get those leftovers into the fridge right away. It is safe to eat for up to 4 days – you can have it cold or reheated, but if you do heat it make sure you heat it to 165 degrees to kill the bacteria.
Handling Pork
Preparing pork can be just as safe as any meat if you follow a few common sense rules that should apply to cooking and preparation of any kind of meat or seafood. The first rule in kitchen safety is to wash off your cutting board, sink, utensils and any other items that come in contact with the meat. Using a non porous cutting board is safest as this material will not absorb juices from the meat. Always make sure you thaw and marinate pork in the refrigerator and do not leave it out at room temperature.
Some basic kitchen safety when preparing pork include:
Wash hand thoroughly before and after handling meat
Was all utensils, cutting board, sink and counter before and after food prep
Never reuse marinade
Keep raw pork separate from raw beef, seafood or poultry
Once raw meat has touched any surface wash it thoroughly before using it for anything else.
Use paper towels for cleaning surfaces – sponges will hold that bacteria and spread it but you can toss the paper towels in the trash.
Use a meat thermometer when cooking pork and make sure you cook it to the safe internal temperature of 160 degrees.
Cooking Pork
You can cook pork in many ways including roast, broil, grill, sauté, stew and braise. Many people are afraid of pork due to the age old fear of trichinosis and tend to overcook the meat leaving it dry and leathery. To get tender juicy pork, a little bit of pink in the meat is safe, just make sure the juices are clear and not pink. These days, trichina in hogs is quite rare in the US so the threat of trichinosis is minimal but since trichina is killed at 137 degrees and pork should be cooked to an internal temp of 160 degrees you should be extra safe if you use a thermometer when cooking.
| Cut |
Weight |
Cooking Time |
| Roast |
2 – 5 lbs |
20 – 30 min per lb |
| Shoulder Blade Roast |
2 – 5 lbs |
45 min per lb |
| Ribs |
2 – 5 lbs |
2 hours |
| Broiled or Grilled Chops |
1” thick |
8 minutes with bone, 16 minutes for boneless |
| Broiled or Grilled Ribs |
3 lbs |
2 hours |
| Broiled or Grilled Patties |
1/2” thick |
9 minutes |
| Sauted in Skillet |
1/4” thick |
4 minutes |
| Braised Cutlets or Cubes |
1” thick |
25 minutes |
| Stew 1” Cubes |
1” thick |
50 minutes |
|
