Preparation

The “Three C’s” for Meat Handling

  1. Keep it CLEAN
  2. Keep it COLD
  3. Keep it COVERED

When in doubt, throw it out!

If you discover something in the refrigerator that you have forgotten about, (and you know it isn’t your child’s Science Fair Project) don’t taste it!

If any meat looks or smells suspicious, throw it out!

Pork Cooking Temperature: Pork is done at 71!

Pork need not be overcooked. Your Meat Thermometer is your friend.

In the past, it was recommended that pork be cooked “very well” to be safe, because of the risk of trichinosis. This, unfortunately, often resulted in dry, tough meat, and some people still associate pork with this negative experience. Fortunately, with improved food safety knowledge and better production methods in Canada, trichinosis is no longer a risk in Canadian pork. We now know pork can be cooked safely to (160°F/71°C) or less, which produces a juicy and tender product. When cooked to this temperature, pork may still have just a hint of pink in the middle, for instance inside a cooked roast or very thick chop or steak.

The exception is ground pork and sausage, which like all ground meats, should be cooked thoroughly.

Some of this content courtesy of putporkonyourfork.com