how to tell if pork is done without a thermometer

Last Updated on: 23rd October 2022, 12:57 am

Thermometers are really effective in measuring the temperature of food inside the smoker and deciding whether the food has been done or not

. The true test, however, is determining whether a piece of pork is done without using a thermometer.

The good news is that you can tell the doneness of pork without using a thermometer.

If you are shocked at this, then keep in mind that humans have been smoking pork for centuries without using thermometers and it can be done with some practice.

By using our intuition, we can tell if the pork is done. We will have to take in account the color, texture, tenderness, and time of smoking to tell if the pork is done or not.

It will require some practice to master, it but it is not as difficult as it seems.

How to check the doneness of pork without a thermometer

It is really important to decide if the pork is done or not carefully, because no one will like the pork if it is overdone or undercooked. checking the doneness of pork is similar to some extent to checking the doneness of turkey.

Thermometers are a huge relief because they can tell us when to check for tenderness in a piece of pork.

If the pork is overcooked, then it will have a bitter taste and char over it’s surface. While undercooked, it will have pathogens in it .

To decide whether the pork is done , you should consider following these methods to make the best decision about doneness.

By examining exterior  color

If you want to know if pork has been smoked completely or not , then you should probably start by examining it’s color first.

It has been traditionally used for centuries, even before the invention of temperature. A finely smoked pork will have a unique appearance.

The color of the pork should have darkened a little bit to assume that the pork has been exposed to smoke for enough time .

You should not worry about the other factors at this point because we are going to examining all of them one by one .

By examining the interior color

Now that you have looked at the appearance of the pork and have a good idea if the pork has been smoked or not, we are going to move into the deeper portion of the pork to make sure that the pork chops have been cooked properly.

For examining the interior color , you should take a fork and knife and cut out a piece of smoked pork.

The color of the pork indicates whether the meat has been cooked properly or not .

A undercooked pork chop will have a light pink color on the inside. It turns a pale pink or opaque color when cooked properly.

The color change  is mostly  due to the breakdown of meat proteins at higher temperatures.

One thing that you should keep in mind is that the interior and exterior of the pork should be examined separately.

A pork chop can be smoked properly but can be undercooked due to presence of lower temperatures. While it can be cooked properly it should require more time for smoke deposition.

By examining meat juices

After you have examined the color of pork , both interiorly and exteriorly , you should probably have a good idea of whether the pork is done or not.

But you should follow the process to confirm your decision .

After examining the color of the meat , you should examine the color of fluid present in the pork.

These fluids are are usually known as meat juices, because they enhance the flavor of pork when smoked properly.

To examine the meat juices, you should consider poking the pork with toothpicks or any other pointy object.

A small amount of the meat juices will seep out of the pork at the point where you have poked the toothpick.

You should consider examining the color of the meat juices carefully regardless of their amount. If the color of the meat juices is clear, then it means that the pork is done .

If it is red or pink, it means that the pork is not done yet. The pinkish color is due to the blood present in the juices.

By checking tenderness of pork

Until now , we have examined the exterior of the pork to make sure it is smoked completely.

But to make sure it is done, we also have to take into account the tenderness to make sure it is cooked properly in the deep side.

You should be aware that pitmasters who smoke pork commercially at restaurants or other events are unlikely to insert a probe into every piece of pork.

So they simply decide if the pork is done or not by just checking the tenderness.

Pork usually becomes tender at around 145°F due to breakdown of connective tissues. The reason is the breakdown of collagen at 145 °F .

When the collagen is broken down , then the connective tissues become delicate and the pork becomes tender.

As you don’t have the thermometer, then you should consider checking for the temperature without taking in account the temperature.

Usually the tenderness is examined by inserting the probe into the meat , but in case you don’t have one, we have an alternative.

You can try poking toothpicks into your pork to check if it’s tender or not. The pork should feel like butter and toothpicks should be inserted into the pork without any resistance.

You can try inserting toothpicks at different locations to be sure about tenderness.

Moreover, you should keep in mind to not poke too much because it can result in the removal of meat juices from the pork.

Preferably, you should only poke in the flat region because it’s our priority. Additionally, you should avoid poking in fat pockets.

By pressing pork

After you have thoroughly examined the pork and are ready to make a decision, you should wait a second and examine the exterior of the pork by palpation or pressing it with your fingers.

It will tell us if the exterior is cooked properly or not .

An important point to note here is that we are not looking for tenderness here. But on the flip side , if the pork has been done, then it should have a firm surface.

So a completely smoked pork chop will be hard exteriorly while tender inside.

There are various ways to test the anterior of the pork, but the easiest one is to just press the pork with your fingers.

If the pork surface comes to it’s original shape quickly, then it means that it has been smoked completely.

Stretch the palm of one hand and press it with the fingers of the other hand to get an idea of how it should feel; done pork will have the same texture.

Until now , you should have made a clear decision about whether the pork has been done or not.

But I’d you are still in confusion, ,then you should consider placing your pork in the oven for a while to make sure it is cooked properly.

how to tell if pork chops are done without a thermometer

Thermometers are usually used to give an idea of when to check for tenderness of pork  being smoked in a smoker.

So, by placing a thermometer probe inside the pork , you get notified when the internal side of pork  has reached the temperature required for tenderness.

This temperature can range from 145-160°F depending on the texture of the pork .

The reason is that the connective tissues start breaking at this temperature and the pork  becomes tender.

But the temperature is used to determine the tenderness, not doneness.

So if the temperature of the pork  is at 145-160 °F, then you don’t have to pull your pork  off the smoker yet.

Rather, it gives you an idea that the pork  has started to become tender, so you should examine whether the pork  has been done completely or not.

You can check the doneness of pork without a thermometer by looking at it and examining it physically.

There are several ways that you can utilize to make sure if the pork  has been smoked completely or if it needs more time .

These are the most common ways of telling whether the pork  has been done or not without using a thermometer.

By color

As discussed above, the examination of whether the pork chops have been done or not should always start by examining its colors first.

A completely done pork chop will have a dark color on the outside and an opaque color on the inside.

By bark

After examining the color of the pork, you should consider examining the bark of the pork.

You should keep in mind that you are not examining the color of bark but the thickness of bark on the surface of pork.

Bark develops on the surface of pork due to the reaction of different rubs and sauces with the smoke.

So if the pork has a thick and crispy bark then it would has been smoked completely. But if it has a thin and delicate bark, then you should smoke it for some time .

By pressing the chops

After examining the bark of the chops , you should consider examining the chops by pressing them with your fingers.

It is most commonly used by chefs at restaurants while smoking multiple chops at once.

If the pork chops are firm on the outside but tender on the inside, then it means the pork is done.

By checking Color of  meat juices

You can tell if pork chops are done or not by just looking at the color of it’s meat juices.

If the color is clear, then it means the pork is done, while meat juices containing a pinkish color show that the pork chops are not done yet.

By time

Although it may sound obvious , it is also important to keep in mind the time of smoking to decide if the pork is done yet or not .

Good quality pork meat will require around 1 and a half hours per pound to be smoked completely.

Pull a part of pork chop

 If you have followed the complete process, then you should have made your decision on whether your pork chops are done or require more smoking.

But you can perform this step to confirm your results.

For this step, you should wear heat safety gloves and pull off a part of the pork chops.

If the part comes off easily the it means the pork is done completely and don’t require further smoking while if it show resistance then you should consider placing it in smoker for sometime.

how to tell if pork shoulder is done without thermometer

Thermometers are an excellent way to determine when the pork  is done, but everyone can’t afford a good quality thermometer or some people may be unfamiliar with using them.

So the question becomes, how can you tell if the pork is done without using a thermometer?

The good news is that it is not compulsory to use a thermometer to decide whether the pork  has been cooked completely or not.

In fact, humans have been smoking meat for centuries, but thermometers started being used in smoking just a half century ago.

You can accurately describe whether the pork  has been done or not without a thermometer by examining it physically.

You should consider examining the bark ,color , feel, tenderness, and it’s movement pattern upon shaking to decide whether it’s done yet or not.

Get the feel of pork shoulder

I know it might look philosophical, but you have to get the feel of pork before making the final decision about whether it’s done yet or not.

After we have examined its exterior for smoke deposition and interior for tenderness, we now have to examine it as a whole.

“Feeling of the pork” means touching the pork to decide whether the pork has been done or not based on your intuition.

Make sure to wear heat-safe gloves before doing so. You should consider checking it’s heat to estimate the temperature.

Finally, you should pick up the pork in your hands and shake it gently. If it shakes easily and feels like jello, then you can assume that its done .

By following the complete process described above you can decide whether the pork is done or not without a thermometer.

By tenderness

After getting the initial feel of the bark , you will have to dive deeper into the pork shoulder to get the most accurate answer.

You should consider checking the tenderness of pork shoulder first before checking anything else.

You should start by examining the exterior first. But keep in mind , while examining the exterior, we are not looking for tenderness,rather we are looking for firmness.

If the pork surface is firm, then it means it has been smoked completely.

After examining the exterior, you should move on to checking the interior. Here we are looking for tenderness.

You should consider poking your pork shoulder with a toothpick, if it inserts without any resistance, it means the pork shoulder is tender inside and done completely.

By color

After examining the tenderness of the pork shoulder, you should consider checking it’s color to make the decision more accurate.

Like tenderness, you should also take in account the exterior and interior color to decide if it’s done or not.

The exterior of the pork shoulder should have a dark color due to the deposition of smoke.

If the color is not dark or hasn’t changed much, then it means the pork shoulder has not been smoked for enough time. So you should consider placing it in a smoker for some time .

On the other hand , to examine the color interiorly, you should consider cutting a piece of shoulder with a fork and knife.

If the color is opaque, then it means the pork is done, while a pink color means it’s still undercooked.

By bone wiggle test

The most effective method for checking whether the pork shoulder has been done or not is by pulling a bone present inside the shoulder.

If the bone moves easily and looks like it will come off , then it means the pork shoulder has been cooked completely.

how to tell pork tenderloin is done without a thermometer

You can tell if the pork tenderloin is done or not by just following the same process described for pork chops.

In addition to the tenderness, color, and meat juices, you should also take in account the time and temperature of the pork tenderloin.

 By time taken

Although it may sound obvious , it is also important to keep in mind the time of smoking to decide if the pork tenderloin is done yet or not .

A good quality pork tenderloin will require around 1 and a half hours per pound to be smoked completely.

Temperature of the pork tenderloin

You should take in account the temperature of the tenderloin to make sure it’s cooked properly.

For this , you should place a piece of tenderloin on the back of your hand, and it should feel like a hot cup of coffee if it’s done.

But make sure to be careful about injuring yourself while doing so.

By color of pork tenderloin

The exterior of the pork tenderloin should have a dark color due to the deposition of smoke.

If the color is not dark or hasn’t changed much then it means the pork tenderloin has not been smoked for enough time.

So you should consider placing it into smoker for some time .

The final Verdict

It’s pretty tricky to tell if the pork is done without a thermometer, but you can master it by practice.

You should consider taking in account the temperature, color, tenderness, time taken and your own intuition before making the final decision.

if you are interested in digging deeper into checking doneness ,then don’t forget read our article on how to tell if chicken is done without a thermometer.