Whether it’s ground, chops, sausage, or tenderloin, pork be used in a variety of ways for endless dishes. However, just like any other cut of meat, there are varying factors to consider when it comes to cooking pork. How long you have to cook different cuts of pork depends on the toughness of the cut and the type of dish you plan to make. But when it comes to ground pork specifically, there’s a big difference in how long you must cook it.
In fact, ground pork has to be cooked longer than other cuts of the meat. Ground pork should be cooked to a minimum internal temperature of 160 degrees Fahrenheit. This is considerably higher than 145 degrees Fahrenheit, the minimum for other cuts of pork. This has everything to do with the pathogens found on the exterior of the raw meat. When the meat is ground by the butcher or manufacturing plant to be packaged for your purchase, it spreads those pathogens more thoroughly through the meat. That means it’s not only on the outside of the chop or tenderloin but throughout the ground meat. To kill those risky pathogens such as E. coli, the meat must be cooked for a longer time compared to the pork chops you might serve for an easy dinner. This is essential, because eating raw pork can lead to food poisoning or more serious situations like parasites, such as tapeworms.
Temperature rules and checks for safely cooking and eating ground pork
How long you must cook ground pork comes down to the temperature and cooking techniques involved. A temperature check is the safest option to ensure that the ground pork is fully cooked and those pathogens are gone. Be sure to cook it to the aforementioned 160 degrees Fahrenheit to be safe. A quick look to check for no pinkness and juice that is clear are other ways to know the ground pork is done in any dish.
If you make our sausage burgers with peppers using ground pork, then you can easily temp the patties with your meat thermometer to check for 160 degrees Fahrenheit. When it comes to dishes like white lasagna with sausage, it’s a safe bet to cook the ground pork first, then incorporate it with the rest of the ingredients. It’s the same case for other dishes like our deconstructed lasagna soup, because it’s a little difficult to temp the ground pork when it’s crumbled into small pieces and mixed with other ingredients.
