The USDA made an announcement about the safety of cooking pork just in time for this weekend’s barbecues.porkUSDA

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has just announced  that pork can be safely cooked to medium rare (145 degrees F, as measured on a food thermometer), so it’s pink (yes, pink), tender and juicy. Be sure to then let the meat rest at least 3 minutes before slicing and eating.

Finally! With the pork industry making pork leaner and leaner, if you followed the older recommendation to cook pork to 160 degrees F, you’d end up with an inedible, overcooked  hockey puck. According to the pork industry, pork is 16 percent leaner than 20 years ago, and saturated fat has dropped 27 percent. Ounce for ounce, pork tenderloin is now as lean as a skinless chicken breast.

If you’re cooking ground pork — or ground beef — the USDA still recommends cooking to 160 degrees F.

For more information and recipes on pork click here.

– bonnie