3 Pork Preparation Tips to Pass Around
One of the few silver linings to COVID-19 is consumers realized or remembered how much they love pork.
Nearly all American households (98.4%) purchased meat in 2020, and 43% of Americans now buy more meat than before the pandemic – primarily because they are preparing more meals at home, according to the Power of Meat study. The research was conducted by 210 Analytics on behalf of FMI—The Food Industry Association and the Meat Institute’s Foundation for Meat and Poultry Research and Education.
Not only are more consumers buying meat, but their confidence is growing in making it a tasty option for their dinner plates. Around 60% of consumers indicated they feel more confident in preparing meat than they did before the pandemic, according to the research.
These are exciting trends for pork producers, says Jim Murray, world executive chef with the National Pork Board. He joined AgriTalk Host Chip Flory as park of PORK Week:
If your neighbor or family members come to you seeking advice on how to prepare pork advice, here are three tips:
1. Focus on internal temperatures, not cooking times.
The safe internal pork cooking temperature for fresh cuts is 145° F, according to the National Pork Board.
“We know that if you cook it correctly, it will be much juicier, more tender and flavorful,” Murray says. “Many people spend a lot of time concentrating on cooking times and things like that, when internal temperatures are the greatest indicator of overall success.”
2. Think beyond just pork burgers (even though they are delicious).
The global pandemic helped consumers gravitate towards ground pork, Murray says. “Retail sales grew by 26% during the pandemic because shoppers were filling their baskets with new and different protein options, given the supply chain issues.”
Think about ground pork as an ingredient, he suggests. Use it in tacos, Italian meatballs, egg roll in a basket, etc. It can be used in many ways beyond the standard pork burger.
3. Cash in on the rich flavor of pork.
How does an executive chef elevate pork? “I like to explore ethnic dishes where pork is featured as the primary flavoring agent and not necessarily just in the center of the plate,” Murray says.
“Pork is the No. 1 protein in most of the countries and cuisines around the world,” he says. “And they use it primarily as a flavoring agent. It's there to accent vegetables, it's there to accent starches, those sorts of things. And so that's one of the things that I love to do with pork.”
To find recipes, videos and advice on preparing pork, go to pork.org.
More from PORK Week:
‘It’s a Mistake’ Not to Appeal Court Decision to Revoke Faster Line Speeds Says Rep. Glenn Thompson
Economists Call Out Game Changers in the Pork Outlook
Top Tech Takeaways from 5 Pork Industry Leaders
DC Signal to Noise: Will Hot/Dry Weather This Week Affect Accuracy of Upcoming S&D Report?
