Ditch the Dry Pork: Why You Don’t Need to Cook It Well Done to Avoid Trichinosis

In this article, I’m going to debunk two myths. The first myth regards the need to cook pork until it’s well done to avoid trichinosis (trichonelosis). The second myth is a myth within the myth, regarding the degree of cooking needed to render pork generally safe to eat. The questions are: Do we still need to worry about trichinosis in pork? And, if so, how much do we need to cook pork to kill this dangerous parasite?

What is Trichinosis?
How Many Trichinosis Cases Come From Pork?
The Two Major Trichinosis Myths
Safe Cooking Temperatures For Pork
Freezing Pork to Kill Trichinosis
Summary

What is Trichinosis?

According to the CDC, trichinosis, also called trichinellosis, is a foodborne parasitic zoonotic disease caused by roundworms of the genus Trichinella.

A human can get the disease by consuming raw or undercooked meat that contains viable, or in other words, living Trichinella larvae. Trichinella infection has been found in domestic and wild animals from all continents except Antarctica.

It takes from one to two days for symptoms to develop after eating consuming undercooked meat. Most of the symptoms are gastrointestinal, including diarrhea (loose stool/poop), nausea (feeling of sickness in the stomach), fatigue, and stomach pain.

Within 2 to 8 weeks, fever, headaches, chills, muscle soreness, pain and swelling around the eyes may develop. How long the symptoms last and their severity depends on the number of parasites in the meat and the amount eaten.

Sometimes, rare complications develop and affect the heart, brain, and lungs; these complications may be fatal.

While it is still considered a food safety problem, the threat of getting trichinosis from undercooked pork, in the United States and other developed nations, has all but vanished.

instant read meat thermometer checking steak

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How Many Trichinosis Cases Come From Pork?

The chance of trichinosis infection is greater from wild game or domestically raised animals than from commercially raised animals.

From 2008 to 2012, the CDC confirmed 90 cases of trichinellosis but excluded six from their analysis, leaving a total of 84 cases to analyze. Among these, only 22 patients (33%) attributed their illness to pork products and only 10 of these (45%) attributed their illness to commercial pork products (supermarkets [6], butcher shops [2], restaurants [2]).

Six cases were from hunted wild boar and one was from home-raised swine. Five more were from unspecific pork products. 39 of the pork-related patients were able to report the method in which the pork was cooked and 21 of these reported eating raw or undercooked meat.

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Today, the number of cases related to nonpork products surpasses those related to pork products. Most cases are linked to bear meat or other wild game.

Whether or not modern pork-related cases of trichinosis can be considered significant, it is safe to say that your chances of becoming ill from trichinosis-infected pork are very low. This is mostly due to changes in feeding practices for commercially raised swine.

While it never hurts to be cautious, you can ignore the conventional wisdom that you have to cook pork until it’s well done to make it safe to consume.

The Two Major Trichinosis Myths

The reason you can ignore instructions to cook pork until well done is not only that there are very few cases of trichinosis but because the idea that you have to cook pork until it is well done to kill trichinosis parasites is the myth within the myth I discussed in the beginning.

There really is no problem here. You can have your pork and enjoy it, too. It is quite possible to cook pork to a temperature sufficient to make it safe to eat without making it well done or overcooked.

So the myth is that the only way to render meat safe from trichinellosis or other parasites or pathogens is to cook it until it’s well done.

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Hardly anyone likes pork rare or even medium rare. Most people want their pork to be either medium or well-done. Otherwise, it’s nasty. The truth is that you can cook any pork product to a proper medium and render it safe to eat.

To be precise, we need to talk about internal temperatures, not descriptive terms. If anyone tells you that pork needs to be cooked to a certain doneness without discussing internal temperatures, they probably do not know what they are talking about.

Safe Cooking Temperatures For Pork

According to the USDA, pork chops, pork roasts, and any other cut of pork needs to be cooked to an internal temperature of 145°F followed by a 3-minute rest. You can cook your pork up to 160°F, however, and still get a medium result, in some cases.

The temperatures needed to produce a certain color are not always consistent we can only really estimate within certain ranges.

A fresh ham should be treated like any cut of pork and cooked to 145°F. However, pre-cooked ham can be reheated to 140°F or eaten cold. Holding ham at a warm temperature below 140°F is in the danger zone for foodborne illness and should be avoided.

Ground pork products still need to be cooked to the previously recommended temperature of 160°F.

So, there really is no problem here. If you are very worried about trichinosis, use a meat thermometer to check the internal temp of your pork. There is also another way to make sure pork is safe from trichinosis:

Freezing Pork to Kill Trichinosis

You can kill any trichinosis larvae in commercial pork by freezing it to a temperature of 5° F (-15 C) for three weeks. This is only considered safe if the pork is less than six inches thick.

Key Summary Points for “Ditch the Dry Pork: Why You Don’t Need to Cook It Well Done to Avoid Trichinosis”

There are two myths about trichinosis in pork. The most well-known myth is that you have to cook pork until it is well-done to trichinosis (trichonelosis).
Trichinosis is a food-borne parasitic disease caused by roundworms genus Trichinella.
Humans can contract this parasite by eating raw or undercooked meat containing Trichinella larvae. Symptoms of trichinosis include diarrhea, nausea, fatigue, and muscle pain.
Today, the threat of trichinosis from pork has greatly diminished.
From 2008-2012, only 22 out of 84 confirmed cases were linked to pork, and only 10 of those were from commercial pork. Most cases now come from wild game.
As stated above, the idea that pork must be cooked well-done to kill trichinosis is a myth. Hardly anyone wants their pork cooked to rare or medium-rare, but you can cook any pork product to a proper medium and render it safe to eat.
According to the USDA, pork chops, pork roasts, and any other cut of pork needs to be cooked to an internal temperature of 145°F followed by a 3-minute rest. You can cook your pork to 160°F and still get a medium result, in some cases.
Ground pork should still be cooked to 160°F.
Freezing pork to 5°F (-15°C) for 3 weeks can also kill any trichinosis larvae, if the pork is less than 6 inches thick.