Why you don't need to worry about pink pork

I love a good pork chop, especially when it’s properly cooked. And while it’s certainly possible to cook a pork chop to a perfectly rosy doneness using traditional methods like stovetop searing or grilling, it’s far, far easier to do so using sous vide.

My preferred doneness is around 140°F (60°C), which is moist, tender, and pink. But if you consult the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), it isn't quite high enough to be considered safe. If you choose pork from a high-quality butcher that’s been properly stored, you can serve it at this lower temperature without concern. But if you are worried, or you’re serving elderly, pregnant, or very young individuals, you can also use sous vide to pasteurize the meat before serving.

The USDA’s recommended cooking temperatures are based on the near instantaneous destruction of harmful bacteria. But even at temperatures as low as 130°F (54°C), bacteria are being actively destroyed on the surface of that pork. Every moment that your meat is held at this temperature, it is becoming safer to eat. The higher the temperature, the quicker the meat gets pasteurized.

At 140°F (60°C), pork chops can be safely pasteurized if they are held at this temperature for at least 35 minutes after reaching their core doneness. This time ensures that bacteria are eliminated while preserving the meat’s juiciness.

If you want to pasteurize your pork, take the minimum cooking times listed in our sous vide pork guide, and then add the below times based on the chop’s thickness and desired temperature.