Stop. Poking. Your. Pork. With. A. Fork. That’s for tossing salad, not checking doneness. You need a digital instant-read thermometer. They cost like $12. Buy one. Name it “Harold.”
Insert Harold into the thickest part of the meat, avoiding bone. Bone conducts heat funny. We’re looking for truth, not a confusing date.
If the thermometer reads 145°F on a chop, pull it off the heat. It will climb another few degrees while resting (that’s called “carryover cooking”). You just became a science hero.
The Pink Panic (and Why You Can Chill)
You cut into your perfectly cooked pork chop and see a faint pink blush. You panic. You throw it back on the grill. You make shoe leather.
Relax. Pink in pork is normal—especially near the bone or in smoked meat. It’s called “smoke ring” or just good genetics. The color of meat doesn’t always tell you safety. Temperature tells you safety.
Trust Harold the Thermometer, not your eyeballs. Your eyeballs are liars. Mine once told me I looked good in neon fanny pack. Never again.
