For decades, your grandmother and every stern-faced cookbook told you to cook pork until it was well-done—like, 160°F or higher. This wasn’t a culinary choice; it was a panic response to a parasite called trichinosis, which was a real party pooper in the 1900s.
Here’s the kicker: modern pork is incredibly safe. The National Pork Board (yes, that’s a real agency, and I imagine they wear tiny bacon-patterned ties) says the risk of trichinosis is basically zero in farm-raised pork. You have a higher chance of being struck by a rogue frisbee at a picnic.
So, we’re finally allowed to cook pork like actual chefs—not like we’re trying to make a leather shoe edible. It’s time to embrace the pink, people.
