That’s the title of the USDA’s safe internal temperature chart for cooking meats. Boo!
What an easy to ruin a beautiful pork loin, or a nice stuffed pork chop. Long ago I read that 145 is enough, that trichinosis is killed at 140, and that the disease is extremely rare now anyway, and the temp continues to rise (a little).
I googled and got opinions ranging from 145 to the USDA’s 160.
So, I come to the Fabulous Foodies of the SDMB for expert opinion.
Peace,
mangeorge, who detests dry, tough pork.
I guess I could give a link, eh?
Me, I cook it to between 140 and 145. As I leave it rest, the internal temp does continue to rise.
And I have yet to produce a dry piece of pork roast. 
I don’t think I’ve ever cooked a dry pork roast (knocks wood). But then, I like my pork a bit on the pink side anyway, and to Sheol with the USDA.
Didja know there are ovens available on the market now with a built in thermometer probe. You stick it in the meat before you turn the oven on. You tell the oven what internal temp you want the meat to reach and it beeps for you and turns itself off when it reaches your setting. I WANT ONE!
Yeah, mine has that. It’s pretty cool. I’ve checked it against my meat thermo, and it’s pretty accurate.
::jealous:: :mad: 
BTW; to what internal temperature do you cook a cicada?
Just heard this dude (an Entomologist) on tv eating a cicada (17 year variety).
So, they’re out, eh?
And, people have been cooking meat for thousands of years without one.
Meat, fire, and the poke test. . .keeping people alive (for the most part) for thousands of years.
We worry way too much about stuff that affects way too few people.
What I want is an oven with a closed circuit camera inside that feeds to a flat screen above the oven. Sound doable?
Talk to Alton Brown about buying one of his.
Famous last words. :dubious:
Actually, Trunk has a good point, mangeorge. We do, in my opinion, make WAY too big a deal out of all the “safety rules and regulations” that get browbeaten into our brains by various governmental agencies. We’ve got antibacterial everything - we can’t let a piece of chicken sit on the counter for half an hour - pork must be cooked to death - if something goes one day beyond its use by date it has to be pitched - it’s insane. People (in my opinion) have stopped using common sense when it comes to food preparation and the like - I know someone who threw away two entire rotisserie chickens (this is someone from another message board) because she left them, packaged and covered, in her car on accident for 30 minutes after she bought them. That’s insane.
I used to do that, with mixed results (mostly due to inattentiveness). Now I use a probe thermometer with an alarm and produce perfect results every time. My probe, however, is not integrated into my 20 y.o. oven.
I have my doubts about all that, Missy. I think most of us think just as you do, and use common sense in handling foods. I am careful with raw chicken, though, and rarely get “stomach flu” anymore.
And one must consider the kiddies when using their common sense.
My use of a thermometer is more to protect from overcooking than under.
The bad boy of cooking meats (pork, venison).
Not near the problem in the US it once was, except in wild animals. Note that the bug dies at just under 140deg.
Moved from IMHO to CS.
Edited title for more meaning.
One way around this (for people who insist on high temp cooking, or required too by law) is bake in the oven, covered. One simple recipe that’s really good is basically lemon juice, croutons and a few spices, covered in foil. It sort of steam/bakes and fall off the bone tender w/ fork.
I’m not worried about the cooties, I just want to make sure it comes out yummy. And I don’t want to burn my fingers sticking my thermometer in toward the end when I’m hoping it may be ready.
I generally prefer to cook with deboned croutons. 
See Julia Child’s “The Way to Cook” for excellent instructions on how to debone those croutons.