Content

• Advice
• What you need

• Avoid poking the thermometer on the bone as it can affect the temperature reading.
• If the meat slice is less than 2 cm thick, you can poke the thermometer in from the side, or poke down from the top edge.

Take the meat out of the oven periodically to check the temperature. While some people want to check the meat's temperature without pulling the baking tray out of the oven, it is not safe to do so.

• Even if you are not using the oven, remove the meat from the heat source before checking it.
• Checking the temperature while the meat is left on the stove or oven can also affect the temperature readings.

Stick the thermometer in the center of the meat. Like a continuous thermometer, you should poke an instantaneous thermometer into the thickest part of the slice of meat. Avoid poking the bone as this can affect the reading.

• If the meat slice is thinner than 1 inch (2.5 cm) then you should poke the thermometer horizontally instead of from above.
• Be sure to remove the thermometer from the meat before continuing to cook.

Check for water leaks from meat. While using a thermometer is the best way to determine if pork is cooked, you can judge this by the color of the water leaking from the meat when you poke with a fork or knife.

• If the juices from the meat are clear or very light pink, the pork is done.
• If the water is not clear, cook again and check again later.

Use a long knife to check if the meat is still chewy. If you choose to cook slowly, the internal temperature of the meat will be satisfactory long before the meat becomes tender. Use a long knife or skewer to pierce the center of the piece of meat and gauge the resistance when you press your hand.

• If the knife or skewer can come in and out easily, the center point is soft enough.
• If the resistance is high, continue cooking and check again after a few minutes.

Cut into the meat to see if it's cloudy. For slices of meat that are not thick enough to measure with a thermometer, this method is the only way to judge maturity. Cut into the thickest part of the meat, then separate the meat with a knife and fork to check the color inside.

• Pork will have a uniform cloudy color and may be slightly pink when it is done.
• With very thin slices of meat like bacon you can check without cutting them.

Compare the hardness of the meat to the palm of the hand. For large chunks of meat, you can assess the ripeness of the meat using forceps or fingers. Cooked pork will feel stiff and immediately restore its original shape after you stop pressing. The feeling of pressing your hand against cooked pork is the same as when you feel the center point of your outstretched palm.

• If there is water leaking from the cooked pork, it should be clear.
• If the meat feels tender to the touch, more cooking is required.

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Advice

• Pork is considered “undercooked” at 63 ° C (145 ° F), “half-cooked” at 66 ° C (151 ° F) - 68 ° C (154 ° F), and “cooked” at 71 ° C (160 ° F).
• Always wash your hands after handling raw or undercooked pork.
• Digital thermometer is considered to be the most accurate way to measure the temperature inside meat.

What you need

• The thermometer measures an instantaneous or continuous temperature
• Heat resistant gloves
• Baking rack or pan
• Knife or skewer