Eating pork with slightly center pink question

[thecoffeeguy]

Hey Folks.

Thought i would ask a hopefully, simple question since on cooking pork properly that i know very little about.

I was at a business lunch on Tuesday and we went to a Japanese place that served pork Tonkatsu (in fact, they had three items on the menu: 2 pork items, one sashimi bowl).

Long story short, as i was eating the Tonkatsu pork cutlet, i noticed it was a little pink in the middle. Full stop! I panicked because mom always said, cook your pork all the way through to kill any trichinosis. Scared the crud out of me and i stopped eating.

I did some research and it sounds like that it is ok to eat pork that has NOT been cooked all the way through and even with a pink center. This is due to the fact that trichinosis has pretty much been eradicated in the US when they changed how pigs are raised (feed grain/grass...no more meat scraps.) I read one article that said that in 2015 there were 50 reported cases of trichinosis, but the majority were from wild game (bear, boar etc.)

All that being said, have to admit, makes me a little nervous and the thought of getting trichinosis scares the dickens out of me.

For those that have more knowledge on the subject, this something i should be concerned about? I doublt it, but thought i'd ask other CP'ers.

[chiefzilla1501]

I've heard it's OK. But for every 2 bites of the pink you need to take a bite of something stinky.

[scho63]

Pork with a pink center?

Is this what you guys ate?

[BucEyedPea]

Originally Posted by raybec 4

Pork needs to be slightly less pink in the middle than beef, but you can eat chicken raw.

You eat steak raw too. It's supposed to be healthier. It's dead when it's cooked.

[tooge]

They are correct. Pork should be medium.a tad bit of pink is just right

[Over Yonder]

Originally Posted by BlackHelicopters

Who among us doesn’t enjoy the slightly pink center?

I've said it on here before, the only pink I will eat has 2 legs and walks upright!! That's it! I won't even eat them pink bunny rabbit marshmallow things. Peeps I think they are called, not sure

I have climbed the food chain. I have moved past eating stuff like plankton, dirt, tree bark, and animals that are not cooked properly. But hey, that's just me. I went to school with a kid that would eat his own buggers. I guess you could call that self-sufficient nutrition

To each their own I guess

[JD10367]

.

[tmax63]

Originally Posted by MTG#10

People eat bear?

I made a bear stew one time that was one of the best meals I ever had. It's a really rich red meat and if you get rid of the fat it's great.

[Lex Luthor]

Originally Posted by ptlyon

The pussification of America continues...

The dumbassery of ptlyon continues to grow exponentially.

[cmh6476]

as pink as your mom's bagina

[Why Not?]

Originally Posted by Over Yonder

I've said it on here before, the only pink I will eat has 2 legs and walks upright!! That's it! I won't even eat them pink bunny rabbit marshmallow things. Peeps I think they are called, not sure

I have climbed the food chain. I have moved past eating stuff like plankton, dirt, tree bark, and animals that are not cooked properly. But hey, that's just me. I went to school with a kid that would eat his own buggers. I guess you could call that self-sufficient nutrition

To each their own I guess

So by this rationale, any meat not cooked well done is "not cooked properly"? Might as well eat some dried out leather.

[scho63]

Before I moved out of Northern VA, there was a restaurant called Sweetwater Grill that served the BEST grilled pork chops I've ever eaten. They would brine them for a day and then cook them medium, with a slight pink center.

Things oozed juice and flavor and tenderness. So delicious! Ate them numerous times.

[ct]

Originally Posted by ptlyon

Nice answer: You'll be fine
CP answer: Quit being a pussy

this

[Pablo]

Originally Posted by Why Not?

So by this rationale, any meat not cooked well done is "not cooked properly"? Might as well eat some dried out leather.

Hockey puck hamburgers and sawdust pot roast! Just like mom used to make.

[scho63]

Originally Posted by Pablo

Hockey puck hamburgers and sawdust pot roast! Just like mom used to make.

And shoe leather pork chops!

[RealSNR]

There's nothing worse than a tough, dry pork chop.

Personally, I cook my chops to about medium-well. There's just a faint hint of pink when they're done, but man they're good