When to check temp?

OK. I’m going to get controversial here. Are you ready?? :wink:

Most meats do not require pasteurisation.

There. I’ve said it. And I feel much better for it. Hopefully you will too.

This is why we can eat rare or even raw beef. No matter how long you cook a steak at 52C/126F it’s not going to pasteurise because it’s below the pasteurisation temperature. Now, provided it is kept below the 4 hour mark at this temperature it will be safe to eat.

The same thing with a pork chop. There is no requirement for it to be pasteurised. Pork is now treated a whole lot better than it was decades ago and it’s safe to eat a medium rare temperatures. It’s safe to eat it at rare temperatures too, but it’s not got a very pleasant texture. Lamb is another candidate that is at its best when medium rare. The same with venison, goat, duck, kangaroo and a whole bunch of game meats (provided there is no problem with parasites… You’ll have to talk to the hunters for information on that score.)

When we’re talking of longer cooks like roasts or ribs, beef cheeks or pork belly, things that need cooking for longer than the 4 hours to get satisfactory breakdown of the collagen to provide the tenderness we desire. Then we need to cook over the 54.4C/130F safety temperature because they will be cooked for long periods of time. At 54.4C/130F collagen starts to break down but the process takes considerably longer at this temperature than it would at say 70C/158F.

*Note: pasteurisation is a consideration for chicken. Some people have concerns over raw or near raw eggs. It might also be a requirement for pregnant women… Ummm… I mean when cooking for pregnant women.

I’ve probably made a bit of a hash at explaining this today. I usually do much better. Here’s a slightly better explanation of the way time and temperature affect the outcome: Many steaks at once - #6 by Ember

To understand the sous vide process fully it is well worth reading Douglas Baldwin’s work upon which all of the Food Safety Standards for Sous Vide are based.
A Practical Guide to Sous Vide

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