Is Your Pork Tenderloin Done? Here’s the Exact Internal Temp You Can’t Ignore!

Sun, 03 May 2026 03:02:50 +0000

# Is Your Pork Tenderloin Done? Here’s the Exact Internal Temperature You Can’t Ignore! Cooking pork tenderloin to the perfect doneness is a key step in creating safe, delicious, and tender meals. Undercooked pork poses food safety risks, particularly from parasites like Trichinella, while overcooking can turn the meat dry and tough. The gold standard for determining if pork tenderloin is fully cooked lies in its internal temperature—not how it looks on the surface. ### The Safe Internal Temperature: 145°F (63°C The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and food safety experts recommend that pork tenderloin be cooked to an internal temperature of 145°F (63°C) as measured with a digital food thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the meat, avoiding bones and fat. At this temperature, harmful bacteria are destroyed, and muscle fibers relax to yield a juicy result.