Many of us remember the days when the warning was to cook all pork well done.  I remember a school teacher telling us that undercooked pork could give us the dreaded trichinosis and even in some cases, kill us.

Perhaps in the days when swine were kept in downright filthy conditions, fed raw and wild meats and the Government had little to no oversight, this may have been true.  However, with advances in farming, regulation, and science, we understand better that cooking pork to shoe leather consistency is no longer required.

The USDA used to recommend pork to be cooked to an internal temperature of 180 degrees.  Of course, this will kill just about any organism, but was far too much for the leaner pork of today.  Recently the USDA dropped it down to 160 degrees to be safe.

However science alone tells us the trichinosis spiralis dies off at a temperature of around 137 degrees.   If you are really worried about it, it is also good to know that freezing pork at a temperature of 5 degrees f (-15 c) for 20 days will kill the worm and larvae or if you need it done quicker, freeze at -4 F (-20 c) for three days.

If you are now comforted in the fact you can eat pork medium rare, now all you have to do is get up the courage to try it.  The idea of pink pork did not sit well with me when I first thought about it, but I like to think I have an open minded pallet so I gave it a shot and I am glad I did.  I cooked a pork roast to an internal temperature of 145 degrees and the meat was delicious!

With any meat that you plan on cooking below medium, you should take general precautions.  First, make sure you don’t let the meat sit for a long time (above freezing) in your refrigerator.  Always spice all raw meat with some salt before you cook it.  Even if you avoid salt, recognize the fact that much of the salt will cook off of the meat.  The idea here is that salt will kill any bacteria that may be present.

Marinating meat will also help kill bacteria and prevent meat from spoiling for longer periods.  This is true for any marinade made with vinegar, or large amounts of sodium.  Marinades with high acidic content also preserve meat well.

So don’t be afraid!  Try your pork medium rare, and find a new world of flavor!