Pork is a trick meat. It has a very specific temperature to be cooked at, and it’s often very easy to undercook or overcook pork. Pork isn’t like beef where there are levels of how it can safely be eaten. Ground pork should always reach a temperature of 160 degrees F when being cooked. Roasts and other cuts of pork can safely be consumed once they reach a temperature of 145 degrees F.
Lots of times pork is undercooked. It happens to everyone and once you cut into it, there’s the pink. In the case of pork, it should never be eaten if you see signs of it being undercooked. If you cook pork, cut into it, notice it’s not done and immediately transfer it back to cooking to finish, this is the only safe way to recook undercooked pork. If undercooked pork has been in the fridge for however long, maybe even overnight, it should never be recooked afterwards. Bacteria thrives in this environment and food poisoning most likely will occur.
What Happens When You Eat Undercooked Pork?
Raw pork meat is home to many bacterias and diseases. For some reason, pork is just the perfect place for these things to live. That’s why it’s so important to cook pork thoroughly and why you should never recook undercooked pork. Not only does undercooked pork harbor diseases, but it also won’t taste too great either.
Pork can be home to parasites like tapeworms or roundworms. These parasites have a load of diseases that come with them like trichinosis which is a very serious illness that affects the brain and the heart. Although rare, trichinosis can be fatal. Signs of trichinosis include headaches, body aches, fever, chills, swelling, vomiting, diarrhea, and swelling of the face and hands.
Ways To Safely Reheat Pork
Pork that has been safely cooked and reached a temperature of either 140 or 165, can safely be put into the fridge and saved for later. Pork, in the fridge, can stay there for up to 2 days. Here is how you can reheat already cooked pork.
Reheat Pork in the Oven
Reheating pork in the oven is an excellent way to go about doing so. With the oven, it’s easier to make sure your meat stays juicy and flavorful, while not drying out too much and getting to a safe temperature.
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
- Place pork in an oven safe baking pan or dish
- Glaze pork with a broth of your choice
- Optional: Cover with tin foil
- Let pork heat in the oven for about 20 minutes, or until the meat reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees F.
Reheat Pork in an Air Fryer
Reheating pork in an air fryer is a good way to reheat things like pork chops or tenderloin, the smaller cuts of pork. Keep a watchful eye on your pork in the air fryer because it doesn’t take long at all and it can be easy to overcook it this way.
- Preheat the air fryer to 350 degrees F.
- Cut your pork into with thin slices or bite sized pieces
- Give the pork a slight glaze of butter
- Place in the air fryer basket and for usually no more than 5 minutes, check your meat half way through and take it out right away as soon as it reaches a temperature of 165 degrees F.
Reheat Pork in a Microwave
You can heat any cut of pork in the microwave as long as you cut it to size. This is a good, quick way to heat pork, though it’s easy to overdo it and your pork may come out rubbery and chewy.
- Place pork in a microwave safe dish
- Cover the dish with a paper towel
- Place in the microwave, coko for 1 minute at a time, check the temperature at each stop and take it out when it reaches 165.
Reheat Pork in a Skillet
As with the air fryer, the skillet is a better way to reheat smaller pieces of pork. You will want to cut your pork down to thin slices or bite sized pieces for better an easier cook.
- Heat a tablespoon of butter or oil in a pan on medium high heat
- Place your thinly sliced or bite sized pieces of pork in the pan, add ½ a cup of broth or water
- Cover with a lid, and cook for about 3-4 minutes on medium high heat
- Remove the lid and check internal temperature, which should be at least 165 degrees F.
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Final Thoughts
If there is anything important to know about cooking pork, it is that it is so important to get the meat to an internal temperature of 165 degrees F. It is never safe to recook pork that was undercooked, unless it goes back in the pan or the oven or the grill right away. Undercooked pork that has been sitting in the fridge is definitely deemed unsafe for consumption.