Enhance Your Inner Chef

Storing pork properly is not just about food safety; it’s also about preserving its quality and freshness. When storing raw pork in the fridge, place packages in sealed containers or plastic bags on the bottom shelf or in a designated drawer to avoid meat juices dripping on other foods. When freezing pork, always label it so you know how long it’s been in your freezer.

Use the chart below as guide to storing pork safely. With a little care, pork freezes well and will be just as tasty and juicy as fresh pork when cooked.

Storage times

Fresh

Processed

*Cool to room temperature, uncovered. Then cover tightly and refrigerate or place in freezer within two hours after cooking.
**If vacuum packed, check the manufacturer’s “Best Before” date.

Canada’s food supply is one of the safest in the world. However, food safety doesn’t just happen. We can all play a role in making sure that the food we put on our tables is safe to eat.

Providing consumers with a safe food supply is a responsibility that Manitoba pork producers take very seriously – they enjoy the same food products as you do. Canada has a global reputation for producing safe, high-quality food, and producers must follow a number of provincial and federal guidelines.

To learn more about Canada’s on-farm food safety, quality assurance, traceability, and animal care programs, visit the Canadian Pork Council website.

To eliminate harmful bacteria and greatly reduce the risk of foodborne illness, follow the 4 steps – Clean, Separate, Chill, Cook –. And remember, “When in doubt, throw it out!” Reduce the risk of foodborne illness by following these 4 IMPORTANT steps:

1. CLEAN

Wash your hands and kitchen surfaces often.

2. SEPARATE

Keep raw meat/poultry/seafood and their juices separate from other foods. Don’t cross-contaminate.

3. CHILL

Refrigerate or freeze foods promptly.

4. COOK

Always cook to proper temperatures. Keep pork below 40°F (4°C) or above 140°F (60°C)! The Danger Zone is between 4°C (40°F) and 60°C (140°F). When pork is in between these two temperatures, two things can happen:

• Rapid growth of bacteria
• May lead to spoilage and change in colour

Refrigerate or freeze perishables, prepared food and leftovers, within two hours. Discard food left at room temperature longer than two hours. This includes food in the car, at picnics and food left on the counter.

Anytime you’re hungry…pick pork! Pork is easy to prepare and won’t break your grocery budget.

There are two basic methods for cooking pork – dry heat and moist heat.

• Dry heat – to cook uncovered without the addition of a liquid.

This method is suitable for loin cuts and some leg and shoulder cuts. Dry heat methods include roasting, broiling, air-frying, pan-frying, and grilling.

• Moist heat – to cook in a covered pan or pot with added liquid or steam either in the oven or on the stove-top.

This method is suitable for more marbled cuts of pork like those from the shoulder and belly. Moist heat methods include braising/pot roasting and stewing. Slow cookers, instant pots and pressure cookers work well, too.

Today’s pork is very lean, so you’ll want to be sure to not overcook that perfectly juicy and tender cut of meat.  To cook pork to its juicy and flavourful best, use a digital meat thermometer to determine doneness – it’s the best way to ensure a safe and delicious eating experience.

Tips:

• Insert the thermometer into the centre of the thickest part of the meat, away from bone or fat for the most accurate reading.
• Make sure the thermometer does not pierce all the way through to touch the bottom of the baking pan.
• When cooking stuffed pork roasts, ensure the tip of the meat thermometer is in the meat, not the stuffing.
• When cooking bone-in cuts, ensure the tip of the meat thermometer is not touching the bone.
• For burgers, insert the thermometer through the side of each patty to the centre.
• Check to make sure that your thermometer is oven-safe: oven-safe thermometers can stay in the meat and allow you to check the temperature without opening the oven door. Other thermometers cannot stay in the oven and are only used to check temperatures towards the end of cooking.

Once you remove your pork dish from its heat source, tent it loosely with foil and let the meat rest for 3-5 minutes before slicing. This allows the meat juices to be re-absorbed and re-distributed into the meat to make it juicier and more tender.