Skip to Content

Can You Eat Raw Pork?

By: Author William Thomas

William Thomas

Editor-in-Chief & Pitmaster

I have been smoking and grilling meat from an early age and enjoy sharing my knowledge and expertise through the hundreds of articles I have written about BBQ. I hope to make everyone’s BBQ journey that little bit easier.
Learn more

Posted on Last updated:

Can You Eat Raw Pork?

There are usually two ways to consume food. You can either consume it raw, or you can cook it first. The way you eat the food depends on what kind of food it is.

Both ways come with benefits, but not all foods are created equal, and not all can be eaten raw.

One kind of food people might eat raw or cooked is pork. In this article, we will discuss whether it’s possible to eat raw pork and what benefits and risks can come about when eating it raw.

By the end, you’ll be very informed! We promise you that.

Is It Possible To Eat Raw Pork?

One food that should not be eaten raw is pork. Pork comes from a pig, which is full of bacteria and parasites.

They are just very messy and disgusting animals, so this is why it’s always important to cook the meat. The same goes for eating it rare or undercooked. This is also too risky.

Some meals in the world might use rare or raw pork, but this is not a good food to eat in this state. It must be cooked if you want to eat it.

What Are the Risks of Eating Raw Pork?

As you can imagine, there are a lot of risks to eating raw pork. These include:

  • Trichinosis is an infection that is caused by a roundworm found in pork. Symptoms can show up as early as 1 to 2 days after consuming it but also show up as long as a week later. Early symptoms include upset stomach, vomiting, cramps, and diarrhea. If untreated it can lead to more serious symptoms like high fever, headaches, facial swelling, and rashes. Serious complications can also involve issues affecting the brain or heart.
  • Another parasite you can get is a tapeworm, which can lead to infections like taeniasis. This infection can show up a few months after digesting the tapeworm. It can cause you to lose weight, have pain, have intestinal blockage, and have digestive problems.
  • Cysticercosis is another infection that can come about, which is very serious. A common symptom is seizures, and this means the tapeworm has possibly gone to the heart, eye, or brain, which requires immediate medical attention.
  • Finally, food poisoning is another issue that can come about. Symptoms usually involve cramps, nausea/vomiting, and diarrhea. This usually clears up in a few days or so and doesn’t require a visit to the doctor.

How to Safely Store Raw Pork

There are things you can do to safely store your pork besides cooking it, which will help you keep it fresh until you decide to use it. You can do this by:

  • From the moment you bring the cut of pork home, it should be put in the fridge or freezer. If you plan to cook it soon, then put it in the fridge. It should be cooked within four or five days. Any longer, and it’s just not good enough to eat.
  • The pork goes in the freezer when you decide that you don’t want to eat it right away. Before you stick it in the freezer, wrap the pork in foil, plastic wrap, or wax paper. Then put it in some kind of bag like a Ziplock bag or some other similar brand. Finally, make sure to put the date somewhere on the bag so you know when it was put in there.

Pork can last in the freezer for a few months. However, always do the sniff test and give it a look over just to make sure it is okay to eat. Hey, it’s better to be safe than sorry!

How To Cook Pork

So, you know that pork must be cooked, but how exactly can you do that? Do not worry because we got you covered with three proven ways to cook pork! They include:

  • Pork can be cooked on the grill. The first thing to do is turn on the grill, and once it reaches the right temperature, put the pork on the grill. Make sure that the pork is based on something like oil so it doesn’t stick to the grill. You’ll only have to cook for about 4 to 5 minutes or a little bit more, depending on how thick it is. Once it’s done, take it off the grill and use a thermometer to see if its internal temp is between 160 to 170, which is what it must be to be eaten safely.
  • Next way to cook pork is by doing it on a frying pan. Heat oil in a pan and then turn it to medium heat. Once it starts sizzling, put the pork in the pan. Cook it on both sides until it’s golden brown. It might take as little as 2 to 3 minutes on each side.
  • The final way to cork your pork is by cooking it in the oven. First, preheat the oven to 375 degrees. While you are doing that, season the pork with whatever seasons you like, and then put it in a pan of some kind. You should cook it in the oven for 2 to 3 hours, turning it every hour or so.

You have so many recipes to choose from when cooking your pork. Some are pretty simple, while others tend to lean on the complicated side.

Whatever you choose, you’ll end up with an unbelievably delicious meal and a nice piece of juicy pork chops!

Final Thoughts

And there you have it, all your pork lovers out there. Even though pork is delicious, you can’t eat it raw due to all the risks that are involved.

Pork and poultry are just two of the foods that should not be eaten raw under any circumstances. The risks of you getting ill are just too great.

Fear not, though, because there are some great recipes in which you can use pork. Pork, when cooked, is unbelievably delicious and a staple in many meals.

You might also be interested in the following: