For most of my life I have heard the horror of rare pork due to trichinosis. While 20 years ago it was true that pork should be cooked to well done, that is no longer the case for North America and Europe. There is no longer a need to waste the flavor of pork by turning it into a dry, well done product. In much of the world this is still a reality, but the trichinosis danger in North America and Europe is almost non-existent in the modern age. The common cooking temperature for pork is 160-180 degrees depending on the cookbook, which leads to a dry piece of meat that is similar to a well done beef steak. Trichinosis is killed at 137 degrees, so there is no need to over cook pork. Trichinosis has become so rare in the Western First World that only and average of 11 cases per year have been reported in the United States since 1996 and the majority has come from home raised swine. While I am not recommending eating raw pork, I do suggest that you give medium pork a try. At 137 degrees all risk of trichinosis is gone and the taste you will experience in amazing. So amazing, in fact, that you will change how you look at pork.
At a recent cooking exposition I attended I tried pork tartare from a piece of meat acquired and prepared by a well renowned chef, and it was one of the most amazing pork dishes I have ever tastes. While I do not recommend trying such a dish at home, unless you can be absolutely sure of the quality of pork you have, I do recommend that you end your fear of undercooked pork and expand your horizons for the Other White Meat.
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