Sous Vide Pork
Lean pork dries out fast on a pan. Sous vide fixes that. Set a chop to 140°F and it stays juicy and faintly pink. Bigger cuts like shoulder go long and low for pulled pork.
Best pork cuts for sous vide
- Tenderloin: 140°F, then a fast sear.
- Loin chops: 140°F for juicy, faintly pink pork.
- Pork belly: 170°F for 12 hours, then crisp it.
- Shoulder: 165°F for 18 to 24 hours for pulled pork.
- Ribs: 145°F for 36 hours, or 165°F for 12.
Sous vide pork time and temperature
| Result | Bath temperature | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Chops or tenderloin, rosy | 135°F / 57°C | 1 to 4 hrs |
| Chops or tenderloin, white and juicy | 145°F / 63°C | 1 to 4 hrs |
| Pork belly, then crisped | 170°F / 77°C | 8 to 12 hrs |
| Pulled shoulder | 165°F / 74°C | 18 to 24 hrs |
| Baby back ribs, tender bite | 145°F / 63°C | 36 hrs |
| Baby back ribs, fall-off-bone | 165°F / 74°C | 12 hrs |
Times assume 1 to 1.5 inch cuts unless noted. Thicker cuts need the longer end. Finish with a dry sear.
Tips
Trichinella dies well below these temperatures, so pork is safe at 140°F and even 135°F held for the times shown. Dry and season before searing. Finish ribs and shoulder under a broiler or on the grill with sauce.
Keep going
Back to the full sous vide guide, the Pork Meat Wiki, or find a farm selling pork near you. Recipe to try: Sous Vide Pork Chops.
Frequently asked questions
What temperature for sous vide pork chops?
140°F is the sweet spot: juicy and just pink. Go to 145°F for traditional white pork. Cook 1 to 4 hours, then sear.
Is pink sous vide pork safe?
Yes. Pork held at 135 to 145°F for the times shown is fully pasteurized. The pink is moisture and myoglobin, not undercooking.
Why cook pork sous vide
Pork, especially lean cuts like the loin and chops, is notorious for drying out, and sous vide is the cure. By holding the meat at one precise temperature, it keeps pork juicy and tender in a way that oven or pan cooking struggles to match, and because time at temperature pasteurizes the meat, you can safely cook pork to a lower, juicier doneness than the old well-done standard. The result is pork that is moist, faintly pink, and completely safe, finished with a quick sear for color and crust.
Temperatures for pork
For pork chops, tenderloin, and loin, the bath temperature sets the texture. Around 135F gives a very tender, juicy, faintly rosy result, 140F a juicy but slightly firmer chop, and 145F a more traditional, firmer texture that is still far moister than oven-cooked. Choose based on how you like your pork, remembering that all of these are safe when held long enough, and that even the lower end produces pork a world away from the dry, chalky version many people grew up with.
Times for pork cuts
Tender pork cuts need enough time to heat through and, at lower temperatures, to pasteurize, generally about one to three hours for chops and tenderloin up to an inch and a half thick. They hold well on the long end without drying. Tougher pork cuts like shoulder can be cooked sous vide too, at higher temperatures around 160F to 165F for many hours, up to a day or more, to break down the connective tissue into pulled-pork tenderness while keeping it moist.
The sear is essential
As with all sous vide, pork comes out of the bath pale, so it needs a sear to finish. Pat the pork completely dry and sear it hard and fast in a hot cast iron pan, rendering the fat cap on a chop by holding it against the pan for a few seconds. Keep the sear brief, since the pork is already cooked and you only want color and crust. A quick sear transforms pale sous vide pork into something golden and appetizing.
A note on the bag
Sous vide seals the pork in plastic, and we prefer wood and metal where we can, so we name the trade-off honestly. Use food-grade bags rated for cooking or, better, a reusable silicone bag sealed by the water-displacement method, and keep the bath gentle rather than boiling. Reusable silicone is the option we favor, and it works just as well as disposable bags for these gentle temperatures.
Make-ahead and meal prep
Sous vide pork is excellent for cooking ahead. Cook chops or a loin in the bath, chill them fast in ice water while sealed, and refrigerate, then sear from cold when you want to eat. This is ideal for meal prep or entertaining, letting you cook everything to the same juicy doneness in advance and finish with a quick sear at mealtime. Sous vide pork also freezes well sealed in its bag.
Food safety with sous vide pork
Modern pork is safe cooked to lower temperatures than the old guidance suggested, and sous vide makes that easy and reliable. Safety comes from both temperature and time, so holding pork at, say, 135F to 145F for the time given in published tables pasteurizes it fully, even though it looks juicier and pinker than oven pork. As always, avoid holding food for long periods in the danger zone, and cook ground pork more thoroughly than whole muscle.
Best pork cuts for sous vide
Lean, easily overcooked cuts benefit most: pork chops, tenderloin, and loin roasts all come out dramatically juicier than conventional cooking allows. Tougher cuts like shoulder can be cooked long and low for a tender, pulled result, though many cooks still prefer to braise or smoke those. For the everyday problem of dry pork chops, though, sous vide is close to a magic fix, which is why it has won over so many home cooks.
Getting started with sous vide pork
The workflow is simple: set your circulator to the temperature that matches the texture you want, season and seal the pork with a little fat and any herbs, cook it for the time your cut and thickness need, then dry and sear. Once you have tried a sous vide pork chop, pulled at 140F and seared golden, it is hard to go back to hoping a chop comes off the stove at the right moment.