The root end of the onion is cut off. When you squeeze the onion it separates into layers.
I guess the word “cut” threw me off
While trichinosis has drastically declined in the U.S. (about 15 confirmed cases per year, some from consuming undercooked wild game (probably a lot more mild cases that are never categorized)), the real risk these days from eating raw or undercooked pork is from other pathogens, like Escherichia coli, Salmonella, Listeria monocytogenes, Staphylococcus aureus and Yersinia enterocolitica.
A lot of people still get sick from eating pork products.
So enjoy your medium rare pork chops and pork tartare. I’ll pass.
*The story of the Schlactfest in Berton Rouech’s A Pig From Jersey (summary: members of a German-American society prepare sausage made from meat of a Trichinella-infected pig, sampling the meat during early stages of the cooking process to determine proper spicing, bad times ensue) made a vivid impression on me, so our pork is always well-cooked.
Pffft, nobody’s talking about pork tartare being a good idea.
But the first time I grilled a pork tenderloin to an internal temp of 145F instead of 165, it was a delicious, juicy game changer. Rivaling beef tenderloin at a fraction of the price. And still perfectly safe since the pathogens you mentioned are dead at 140F and higher.
Medium, yes. Well done? Hells to the no.
Now, if we’re talking wild boar, then for sure, I’m cooking low and slow, BBQ style, till I get that temp up to like 200.
Well, OK, nobody sane. And I did say this in my original post you’re quoting:
But that said, I do love sushi, and I’ve been known to get the occasional beef carpaccio appetizer, which is basically lightly seared beef tartare.
It’s all about taking reasonable risks. If you want to cook your pork chops to shoe leather, that’s your business.
I ran across this recipe for pork tartare, which suggests that freezing the raw meat for 48 hours will kill all pathogens. Nope! Yersinia enterocolitica for instance survives for many weeks at freezer temperatures.
That pork tartare recipe article says that “pork tenderloin tartare is an exquisite and daring alternative for those who want to experience something different from the classic beef or fish tartares.” 
Being “daring” in food consumption is something I’ll leave to thrill seekers.
BTW, a good cut of pork chops prepared medium well or well done is succulent and tasty, and in no way “shoe leather”.
Those are mostly surface pathogens, though, so you only need to cook the outside to kill them. What made trich more dangerous was that it was within the depths of the meat, so you had to cook it clear through to a high enough temperature.
Why would you think that bacterial contamination is confined to the surface of pork products?
Because they get on from the outside. They have no way of getting into the interior. At least, not for solid cuts: As with beef, you have to be more careful with chopped or shredded meat.
In America, the USDA says you no longer need to worry about trichinosis in farm raised pork. Only wild boar and bear.
And you would have to eat a lot of cooked onions to get the vitamins and fiber you need. But if the OP is living on this, looks like no serious problems. Mind you a multi-vite once in a while wouldnt be a bad idea for this diet.
I don’t cook pork chops medium rare. I don’t even like to see any sign of pink in them. But there’s a sweet spot where they’re cooked through but still tender and juicy, and that’s what I aim for. Scary diseases aside, there really is such a thing as overdone pork.
As for pork tartare, no thanks. I don’t even like beef tartare. I’ve had it, and it’s nicely spiced and tasty, but I couldn’t help thinking it would be so much better if made into a burger patty and grilled.
They have a raw chopped meat they serve in Germany that i absolutely love. I think it’s beef based, and it’s not heavily seasoned, but it is seasoned. I’ve had it a couple times, and i have no idea how safe it is, but it’s soooo delicious.
I like pork much more since learning that it doesn’t have to be cooked well done. I still don’t trust it as much as i trust beef, though.
That sounds absolutely delicious, though.
Circa 1999, when I was breast-feeding a small infant and living in post-war Mozambique, there was one elegant restaurant in all of the capital Maputo, located in what had been the Vietnamese Embassy in more complacent times. The French-influenced food was exquisite, and steak tartare was one of the menu items.
I’m a bit horrified to admit, even after all these years, that I ate steak tartare there on several occasions.
Later, I read a book on anthrax. Which mentioned that it was very prevalent throughout Africa, and that Bacillus anthracis, the spore that causes anthrax, is extremely hardy, and can live for years, maybe even decades, in wood flooring slats and all kinds of random places where cows might have been.
Jeez, I was an idiot.
I’m having trouble finding a reference, but I don’t think that’s a common way to catch anthrax. I don’t think it’s safe to eat an animal that died of anthrax even if you cook it. The people usually at risk are those who find and handle the dead or sick animal, so much so that it used to be called “woolsorters disease”, because that’s who caught it, the people who handled wool and hides.
Right, that stuff: Mett - Wikipedia
There is a link there to a bunch of health regulations: not more than 35% fat, has to be sold on the day of production, etc. It’s a 70-page pdf.
https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/tier-lmhv/index.html
https://cdn.website-editor.net/5f617c975b0c4126a9274d71f43f730b/files/uploaded/Fleisch%2520und%2520Fleischerzeugnisse.pdf
Theoretical risks are trichinella and toxoplasmosis— not sure what the infection rate is in practice, but apparently it is considered safe to eat.
I became interested enough in the discussion of raw and undercooked food, and food safety in general, that I started a ^new thread^ on the matter.
This thread inspired me to cook a nice pork loin for dinner. I accidently cooked it to 179 degrees but it still came out tender and juicy. I ate half of it and tonight I’m going to put a couple slices in my ramen along with some chili crisp. Maybe even some diced raw onion sprinkled on it.
It depends on how solid cuts are processed/handled, and whether contaminant bacteria have proteolytic enzymes that permit bacterial penetration of muscle fibers.
We’ve know for a long time that it’s risky to assume that bacteria are confined to the external surface of meat.
I like the marinated Smithfield pork loins, they are very tender. And thinly sliced in noodles is a great combination. I had one with udon noodles last week.