When cooking a whole tenderloin, I set my alarm to beep at 140 and let carryover cooking coast it on up toward 150. That is a compromise position for my "165 or I'm not eating it" wife and myself...and she continuously wonders why my tenderloin is moist, juicy and succulent while when she cooks it the description "shoe leather" can be used charitably.
Even the USDA has calmed down on this one. I go for 140 to 145 when measured with a Thermapen. And then let it rest tented for 10 minutes. In the old days they used to recommend something like 180F, a guarantee of dry white meat. A little pink is okay. But I've noticed that some older people remain kind of phobic on that.
The revised recommendation applies to pork whole-muscle cuts, such as loin, chops and roasts. Ground pork, like all ground meat, should be cooked to 160 degrees Fahrenheit. Regardless of cut or cooking method, both the USDA and National Pork Board recommend using a digital cooking thermometer to ensure an accurate final temperature.
For whole cuts, the recommended internal temperature is 145 degrees Fahrenheit.
4 Comments
The revised recommendation applies to pork whole-muscle cuts, such as loin, chops and roasts. Ground pork, like all ground meat, should be cooked to 160 degrees Fahrenheit. Regardless of cut or cooking method, both the USDA and National Pork Board recommend using a digital cooking thermometer to ensure an accurate final temperature.
For whole cuts, the recommended internal temperature is 145 degrees Fahrenheit.