Cooking Temperature
USDA Revises Cooking Temperatures For Pork
According to the new U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) guidelines, pork chops, roasts and tenderloins can be safely cooked to medium rare at a final internal cooked temperature of 145 degrees Fahrenheit as measured by a food thermometer, followed by a three-minute rest time.
After you remove meat from a grill, oven, or other heat source, allow it to rest for the specified amount of time. During the rest time, its temperature remains constant or continues to rise, which destroys harmful germs.
“With a single temperature for all whole cuts of meat and uniform 3-minute stand time, we believe it will be much easier for consumers to remember and result in safer food preparation,” USDA Under Secretary Elisabeth Hagen says in a news release. “Now there will only be three numbers to remember — 145 for whole meats, 160 for ground meats, and 165 for all poultry.”