Cooking Pork: A Complete Guide

Pork offers a wide range of delicious cuts and cooking techniques, making it a versatile option for quick meals. Whether you're craving pork lo mein, savory glazed chops, stir-fries, or other tasty dishes, pork has you covered.

The secret to perfectly cooked pork lies in its internal temperature. Regardless of the cut, ensuring the right temperature will help you avoid dry meat while achieving the ideal cook.

Here, we'll explore the best methods for cooking various pork cuts, whether in the oven, on the stove, or grilled to perfection.

Cooking Pork Chops

Pork chops are to pigs what beefsteaks are to cows—a similar cut from a comparable part of the animal. Pork chops come from the loin, which includes the tenderloin. A loin chop may feature meat from both the loin and tenderloin, separated by a T-shaped bone.

How long should you cook pork chops?

Cooking times vary for boneless and bone-in pork chops. Refer to this chart from the National Pork Board for accurate cooking times and temperatures.

The Ultimate Guide to Cooking Pork Chops

To keep pork chops tender, juicy, and full of flavor, it's crucial not to overcook them. The trick is in the technique! The "sear-roast" method allows you to cook pork chops slowly enough to prevent them from drying out, ensuring a perfectly moist result.

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Pat the pork chops dry with a paper towel and season with salt and pepper.
2. Heat oil in a cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat until it shimmers.
3. Place the pork chops in the pan, sear one side until golden, flip the chops, then transfer the pan to the oven to bake for around 10 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches your desired level.

How to Cook Pork Tenderloin and Roasts

Pork tenderloin and pork loin roast come from different parts of the pig and have distinct characteristics. The tenderloin is long and narrow, running along the backbone, while the loin roast is broader and shorter, sourced from the back of the pig. Pork loin roast goes by several names, such as center-cut pork roast, center-cut rib roast, and pork loin rib half, among others.

How long should you cook a pork tenderloin and pork roast?

Pork tenderloin is ideal for quick-cooking methods and can be marinated for extra flavor, while pork loin roasts are best suited for longer roasting times.

A general guideline for cooking pork roasts is 25 minutes per pound at 350°F. Use a thermometer to monitor the internal temperature. Once it reaches 140°F, remove the roast from the oven, as it will continue cooking to 145°F due to residual heat. For detailed cooking times, refer to this helpful chart from the National Pork Board that outlines recommended cooking times and temperatures for pork.

The Best Way to Cook Pork Tenderloin

Pork tenderloin is a lean cut that can dry out easily, making it perfect for quick cooking methods like roasting, broiling, grilling, sautéing, or braising to keep it juicy and tender.

1. Preheat your outdoor grill to medium-high heat and lightly oil the grill grate.
2. Place the pork tenderloin pieces on the hot grill, spaced evenly. Let them sear for about 4 to 5 minutes, then flip and grill the other side for another 4 to 5 minutes.
3. Use an instant-read thermometer to check that the internal temperature reaches 135 to 140°F. Remove from the grill and let the meat rest for 5 minutes before serving.

The Best Way to Cook a Pork Loin Roast

The simplest way to cook a pork loin roast is in the oven. With just a few basic pantry staples, a preheated oven, and some patience, you can create a delicious roast.

To ensure your pork loin stays juicy and absorbs all the rich flavors, be sure to baste it regularly during cooking.

1. Preheat the oven to 450°F and place the pork loin on a baking sheet lined with foil.
2. Roast at 450°F until the top is golden and crisp, about 20 to 25 minutes. Then, reduce the temperature to 325°F and continue roasting until the internal temperature reaches 145°F to 150°F, roughly 45 minutes.
3. Once done, remove the pork from the oven, tent loosely with foil, and let it rest for 10 to 15 minutes.

How to Cook a Whole Ham

Ham is a cut of meat from the back legs or sometimes the shoulders of a pig. It can be cured in various ways—wet-cured, dry-cured, smoked, aged, or even left raw. The best cooking method depends on the specific type of ham you purchase.

Do you need to soak ham before cooking it?

Most ham producers in the U.S. use an injection-curing method, where brine is injected into the ham. After curing, the ham may be smoked to enhance flavor and extend shelf life. Since salt is a key part of the curing process, it's rare to find a ham without some level of salt. If you're dealing with a salty, country-style ham, you can soak it in water in the fridge for about 6 hours before cooking to remove some of the salt. However, if your ham is honey-glazed, avoid soaking, as this will wash away the glaze.

The Best Way to Cook a Whole Ham

Slow cooking a whole ham results in a moist, tender meat that's full of flavor. This method is ideal for an 8-pound bone-in picnic ham or a 9-pound spiral-cut honey-cured ham.

1. Pour 1 1/2 cups of brown sugar into the bottom of the slow cooker. Place the ham flat side down (you may need to trim it slightly to fit). Coat the top of the ham with the remaining brown sugar.
2. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours, or for 4 hours if using a spiral-cut ham.

How to Cook Pork Belly

Pork belly is a rich, fatty cut of meat from the underside of the pig. Known for its perfect fat-to-meat ratio, it melts in your mouth when cooked properly, making it a decadent and flavorful choice.

The Ultimate Guide to Cooking Pork Belly

For crispy pork belly, slow-roast it in the oven. This method ensures the meat becomes tender while the fat renders, basting the pork as it cooks to create that perfect crispness.

1. To prepare the pork belly for roasting, use a sharp knife to score the skin and fat in parallel cuts, being careful not to cut into the meat.
2. Rub the entire pork belly with kosher salt and your favorite seasoning mix.
3. Roast at 300°F for 3 to 4 hours, depending on the size, until the internal temperature reaches 165°F and the skin crisps up.

How to Cook Bacon

Bacon is a salt-cured, smoked pork product typically made from cuts like the pork belly or leaner sections of the pig's back.

The Ultimate Guide to Cooking Bacon

Rather than battling with grease in a frying pan, cooking bacon in the oven is a cleaner, simpler method that delivers perfectly crispy strips.

1. Preheat your oven to 400°F. Line a large baking sheet with aluminum foil and arrange the bacon strips on the sheet or on a rack if using one.
2. Place the pan in the oven and bake for 10 to 20 minutes, or until the bacon reaches your desired crispiness. Once done, remove from the oven and let the bacon drain on paper towels before serving.