SAFETY of FRESH PORK . . . from Farm to Table
Although pork is the number one meat consumed in the world, U.S. consumption dropped during the 1970s, largely because its high fat content caused health-conscious Americans to choose leaner meats. Today's hogs have much less fat due to improved genetics, breeding and feeding. Read on for more information about this red meat.


Can Antibiotics and Hormones Be Used in Pork Raising?
Antibiotics may be given to prevent or treat disease in hogs. A "withdrawal" period is required from the time antibiotics are administered until it is legal to slaughter the animal. This is so residues can exit the animal's system and won't be in the meat.

FSIS randomly samples pork at slaughter and tests for residues. Data from this monitoring program have shown a very low percentage of residue violations.

No hormones are used in the raising of hogs.  To Top of Page

How is Pork Inspected?
All pork found in retail stores is either USDA inspected for wholesomeness or inspected by state systems which have standards equal to the federal government. Each animal and its internal organs are inspected for signs of disease. The "Passed and Inspected by USDA" seal insures the pork is wholesome and free from disease.

Is Pork Graded?
Although inspection is mandatory, its grading for quality is voluntary, and a plant pays to have its pork graded. USDA grades for pork reflect only two levels: "Acceptable" grade and "Utility" grade. Pork sold as Acceptable quality pork is the only fresh pork sold in supermarkets. It should have a high proportion of lean meat to fat and bone. Pork graded as Utility is mainly used in processed products and is not available in supermarkets for consumers to purchase.

What to Look For When Buying Pork
When buying pork, look for cuts with a relatively small amount of fat over the outside and with meat that is firm and a grayish pink color. For best flavor and tenderness, meat should have a small amount of marbling.

Retail Cuts of Fresh Pork To Top of Page
There are four basic (primal) cuts into which pork is separated: shoulder, loin, side and leg.

Shoulder
Shoulder Butt, Roast or Steak
Blade Steak
Boneless Blade Boston Roast
Smoked Arm Picnic
Smoked Hock
Ground Pork for Sausage
Side
Spare Ribs/Back Ribs
Bacon
Loin
Boneless Whole Loin (Butterfly Chop)
Loin Roast
Tenderloin
Sirloin Roast
Country Style Ribs
Chops
Leg
Ham/Fresh or Smoked and Cured
How Much Pork is Consumed in America?
Figures from the USDA's Economic Research Service show average annual per capita pork consumption for the following selected periods:

1970: 48 pounds
1975: 39 pounds
1980: 52 pounds
1985: 48 pounds
1990: 46 pounds
1994: 50 pounds
What Does "Natural" Mean?
All fresh meat qualifies as "natural." Products labeled "natural" cannot contain any artificial flavor or flavoring, coloring ingredient, chemical preservative or any other artificial or synthetic ingredient; and the product and its ingredients are not more than minimally processed (ground, for example). All products claiming to be natural should be accompanied by a brief statement which explains what is meant by the term "natural."

Why is Pork a "Red" Meat?  To Top of Page
Oxygen is delivered to muscles by the red cells in the blood. One of the proteins in meat, myoglobin, holds the oxygen in the muscle. The amount of myoglobin in animal muscles determines the color of meat. Pork is classified a "red" meat because it contains more myoglobin than chicken or fish. When fresh pork is cooked, it becomes lighter in color, but it is still a red meat. Pork is classed as "livestock" along with veal, lamb and beef. All livestock are considered "red meat."

Dating of Pork
Product dating (i.e. applying "sell by" or "use by" dates) is not required by Federal regulations. However, many stores and processors may voluntarily choose to date packages of raw pork. Use or freeze products with a "sell-by" date within 3 to 5 days of purchase. If the manufacturer has determined a "use-by" date, observe it. It's always best to buy a product before its date expires. It's not important if a date expires after freezing pork because all foods stay safe while properly frozen.

What Foodborne Organisms Are Associated With Pork?
Pork must be adequately cooked to eliminate disease-causing parasites and bacteria that may be present. Humans may contract trichinosis (caused by the parasite, Trichinella spiralis) by eating undercooked pork. Much progress has been made in reducing trichinosis in grain-fed hogs and human cases have greatly declined since 1950. Today's pork can be enjoyed when cooked to a medium internal temperature of 160 °F or a well-done internal temperature of 170 °F.

Some other foodborne micro-organisms that can be found in pork, as well as other meats and poultry, are Escherichia coli, Salmonella, Staphylococcus aureus and Listeria monocytogenes. They are all destroyed by proper handling and thorough cooking to an internal temperature of 160 °F.

Rinsing Pork 
It isn't necessary to wash raw pork before cooking it. Any bacteria which might be present on the surface would be destroyed by cooking.

How to Handle Pork Safely
RAW PORK. Select pork just before checking out at the supermarket register. Put packages of raw pork in disposable plastic bags (if available) to contain any leakage which could cross contaminate cooked foods or produce. Take pork home immediately and refrigerate it at 40 °F; use within 3 to 5 days or freeze (0 °F).

READY PREPARED PORK. For fully cooked take-out pork dishes such as Chinese food or barbecued ribs, be sure they are hot at pick-up. Use cooked pork within two hours (one hour if air temperature is above 90 °F) or refrigerate it at 40 °F or less in shallow, covered containers. Eat within 3 to 4 days, either cold or reheated to 165 °F (hot and steaming). It is safe to freeze ready prepared pork dishes. For best quality, use within 3 months.

Safe Defrosting To Top of Page
There are three safe ways to defrost pork: in the refrigerator, in cold water (in an airtight or leak-proof bag) and in the microwave. Never defrost on the counter or in other locations.

It's best to plan ahead for slow, safe thawing in the refrigerator. After defrosting raw pork by this method, it will be safe in the refrigerator 3 to 5 days before cooking. During this time, if you decide not to use the pork, you can safely refreeze it without cooking it first.

When microwave-defrosting pork, plan to cook it immediately after thawing because some areas of the food may become warm and begin to cook during microwaving. Holding partially cooked food is not recommended because any bacteria present wouldn't have been destroyed. Foods defrosted in the microwave or by the cold water method should be cooked before refreezing because they potentially may have been held at temperatures above 40 °F.

It is safe to cook frozen pork in the oven, on the stove or grill without defrosting it first; the cooking time may be about 50% longer. Use a meat thermometer to check for doneness. Do not cook frozen pork in a slow cooker.

Marinating
Marinate pork in the refrigerator in a covered container up to 5 days. Boil used marinade before brushing on cooked pork. Discard any uncooked leftover marinade.

Irradiation
Irradiation has been approved for use on pork by FDA and USDA/FSIS in low-doses (to control trichina). Treated pork would not be sterile and would still need to be handled safely. Trichinella could be alive but would be unable to reproduce. Packages of irradiated pork must be labeled with the irradiation logo as well as the words "Treated with Irradiation" or "Treated by Irradiation" so they would be easily recognizable at the store.

Partial Cooking  To Top of Page
Never brown or partially cook pork, then refrigerate and finish cooking later, because any bacteria present wouldn't have been destroyed. It is safe to partially pre-cook or microwave pork immediately before transferring it to the hot grill to finish cooking.

Safe Cooking
For safety, the USDA recommends cooking ground pork patties and ground pork mixtures such as meat loaf to 160 °F. Whole muscle meats such as chops and roasts should be cooked to 160 °F (medium), or 170 °F (well done).

For approximate cooking times for use in meal planning, see the attached chart compiled from various resources. Times are based on pork at refrigerator temperature (40 °F). Remember that appliances and outdoor grills can vary in heat. Use a meat thermometer to check for safe cooking and doneness of pork.

Can Safely Cooked Pork Be Pink?
Cooked muscle meats can be pink even when the meat has reached a safe internal temperature. If fresh pork has reached 160 °F throughout, even though it may still be pink in the center, it should be safe. The pink color can be due to the cooking method or added ingredients.

MICROWAVE DIRECTIONS:
When microwaving unequal size pieces of pork, arrange in dish or on rack so thick parts are toward the outside of dish and thin parts are in the center, and cook on medium-high or medium power.
Place a roast in an oven cooking bag or in a covered pot.
Refer to the manufacturer's directions that accompany the microwave oven for suggested cooking times.
Use a meat thermometer to test for doneness in several places to be sure temperatures listed above have been reached.


PRIMAL AND SUBPRIMAL PORK CUTS 
After a pig is slaughtered, it is generally split down the backbone, dividing the carcass into bilateral halves. Like the beef carcass, each side of the hog carcass is then further broken down into the primal cuts: shoulder, butt, belly, loin and fresh ham. Hogs are bred specifically to produce long loins: The loin contains the highest-quality meat and is the most expensive cut of pork.

With Pork ribs and loin are considered a single primal. They are not separated into two different primal, as are the ribs and loin of beef, veal and lamb. 
It is important to know the location of bones when cutting or working with pork. This makes meat fabrication and cutting easier and helps in identifying cuts. A hog carcass generally weighs in a range of 120 to 215 pounds 
  To Top of Page

Loin
The loin is cut from directly behind the butt and includes the entire rib section as well as the loin and a portion of the sirloin area. The primal loin accounts for approximately 20% of the carcass weight. It contains a portion of the blade bone on the shoulder end, a portion of the hipbone on the ham end, all the ribs and most of the backbone.

The primal pork loin is the only primal cut of pork not typically smoked or cured. Most of the loin is a single, very tender eye muscle. It is quite lean but contains enough  inner fat to make it an excellent choice for a moist-heat cooking method such as braising. Or it can be prepared with dry-heat cooking methods such as roasting or sautéing

The loin also contains the pork tenderloin, on the inside of the rib bones on the sirloin end.
The tenderloin is the most tender cut of pork, it is very versatile and can be trimmed, cut into kabobs and sautéed, or the whole it can be roasted or braised. The most frequently used cut from the loin is the pork chop. Chops can be cut from the entire loin, the choicest being center cut chops from the primal loin after the blade bone and sirloin portions at the front and rear of the loin are removed, it can be  boneless or roast.

A boneless pork loin is smoked to produce Canadian bacon. The rib bones, when trimmed from the loin, can be served as barbecued pork back ribs. Although not actually part of the primal loin, fatback is the thick layer of fat between the skin and the lean eye muscle. 

Shoulder
The primal shoulder is the bottom part of the pig's foreleg,  20% of the carcass weight. 
The shoulder contains the arm and shank bones and has a high ratio of bone to lean meat. 

From pigs slaughtered at a young age, the shoulder is tender enough to be cooked by any method. 
It is available smoked or fresh. The shoulder is inexpensive and, when fresh, it can be cut into shoulder steaks or boned for sautéing or stewing. 
The foreshank is called the shoulder hock and is almost always smoked. Shoulder hocks are often cooked for long periods in soups, stews etc to add flavor and richness.
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Butt
The primal  butt is a square cut located just above the  pork shoulder,  8% of the carcass weight.

Belly
The primal pork belly is located below the loin, approximately 15% of the carcass weight, it is very fat with only streaks of lean meat. It contains the spareribs, which are always separated  and sold fresh but can also be smoked. 
Usually grilled or BBQued while being basted with a spicy barbecue sauce. The rest of the pork belly is nearly used for bacon.

Fresh Ham
Fresh ham is the pig's hind leg. It is a rather large cut accounting for approximately 24% of the carcass weight.
Fresh ham contains large muscles with small amounts of connective tissue.
Hams are often cured and smoked. 

Fresh hams can be  great roasts and can be prepared using almost any cooking method.  When cured and smoked, hams can be bone-in, shank-less or boneless, partially or fully cooked. 
Fully cooked hams are also available canned.  
The shank portion of the ham is called the ham hock.