How To Choose and Cook Pork Chops

Most consumers choose pork chops based on color and marbling. But those factors don’t make much difference when it comes to flavor, tenderness, and juiciness according to a University of Illinois study. Instead, cooking temperature is nearly all that matters when it comes to a delicious pork chop.

The USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service changed its long-held temperature recommendations for whole cuts of pork from 160 degrees Fahrenheit to 145 degrees in 2011.

Meat scientists at U of I tried to determine whether color, marbling, or degree of doneness in pork chops made for the best eating experience. They cut the loins into a whole series of pork chops, assigned them to proposed USDA quality grades for pork, then cooked them to the previous recommendation of 160 degrees and the new recommendation of 145.

Turns out, color and marbling doesn’t matter. Degree of doneness does. Cook them to 145, and you can make a very tasty, very juicy pork chop.

Source: Journal of Animal Science [DOI: 10.1093/jas/sky084] “Effect of packaging type during postmortem aging and degree of doneness on pork chop sensory traits of loins selected to vary in color and marbling.”

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Kitchen Gadgets: Meat Thermometer
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