Mopick - Posted - 06/09/2011:  13:49:28

On 5/24/2011 the USDA made changes to it's recommendations as to what temperatures meat should be cooked.  The old recommendations were outdated and pretty much ignored by chefs and most skilled cooks.  There has been a lot about this in the press lately but there was only really one change that made any difference.  The recommendations for pork chops and pork roasts.  I guess big pork had more influence and I don't know where big beef was because the recommendations are a step backwards as far as beef is concerned.

If you follow the new recommendations 100% of the time you will be 100% safe but you will have terrible beef steaks and lamb chops.  As usual the one-size-fits-all approach of the new recommendations are over simplified.

Here are the USDA's new rules of thumb: 145°F for whole meats in the thickest part plus three minutes of rest, 160°F for ground meats and 165°F for all poultry.

For whole unground pork the new recommendation is 145F (63C) as measured in the thickest part of the meat with an accurate food thermometer, then allowing the meat to rest for three minutes before carving or consuming.  This is really a breakthrough because at 145F the meat will be juicier and more tender, light pink in color.  It will probably rise to around 150 during the three minute rest.  The reason they lowered the recommendation is because trichinosis in undercooked pork has been all but eradicated in developed countries. 

The recommendation for poultry remains the same, 165F.  Salmonella is common in commercial chicken and in some free range and organic birds.

The USDA is still recommending 145F for roast, steaks and lamb chops but with a three minute rest.  This is a step backwards in that during the three minute rest the internal temperature will continue to rise and a 150 degree steak is well done.  If you like rare or medium steaks you will probably not follow this recommendation and really there should be no problem in eating steak at 130-135 which is medium rare.  The problem with beef is generally E-coli.  E-coli is in the intestines of the cow but can get onto the meat in slaughter houses.  The bacteria doesn't get into the meat so cooking steaks on a grill or in a skillet to 130F would kill the E-coli on the surface.  I can't see restaurants and steak houses, prime rib houses, etc following this too closely.

On hamburger and other ground meat the 165F recommendation has not changed.  E-coli gets into the center of the meat when it is ground.  It's in the intestine of the animal but in the stock yards where the animals are in close proximity, it can get transferred on to the hides and eventually onto the surface of the meat.  Then it gets ground into the meat.  E-coli is serious so that means no pink or red hamburgers, sorry. Also if you use a Jaccard tenderizer or even poke holes in meat with a fork you need to make sure the internal temp is 165. 

Randy

Edited by - Mopick on 06/09/2011 14:16:36