So – what’s the best temperature for great tasting pork for you? We are all different, and there is a lot of confusion over cooking pork ‘just right’. The thing is, that everyone’s idea of just right will always differ, and pork can, like other meats, be eaten rare, medium or well done (and anything in between). You need to learn how to cook it just as YOU like it.
As a rule of thumb, for pork well done is 77°C, medium 71°C and medium-rare 63 °C.
A pork loin cooked to ‘medium’ might look a little bit pink in the middle, but that’s perfectly all right. In fact, it’s great.
Some intrepid souls, in search of ever more tenderness and juiciness, might even daret o go a little lower. But if you stick to your ‘range’ your pork is going to be lifetimes more tender, juicy and flavourful than you’ve ever tasted before. A great tool to help you stay on top of your temperatures is a digital probe thermometer that can be set to alert you when the meat reaches its target temperature.
Because of something called “carry-over cooking,” you have to remove your pork roast from the oven when its actual temperature is 5 to 10 degrees below its target temperature. The meat’s internal temperature will continue to increase for a while, even after you take it out of the oven. The bigger the piece of meat and the higher your cooking temperature, the greater this effect will be.
Good luck finding your perfect temperature!