Was my bacon cooked?
I made hunters chicken tonight, cooked a chicken breast for 20 mins then took out , covered with bbq sauce and cheese and lay 2 rashers of bacon over the top then returned to the oven - 225 degrees Celsius in a fan oven (that had been on for 20 mins with the chicken in) for about 8-9 minutes .
I didn’t flip the bacon, it was draped over the chicken.
Was this temperature and amount of time enough to kill bacteria? I’m 38 weeks pregnant and terrified of listeria. The pink meat had gone completely opaque and the fat had begun to brown, but the actual pink meat hadn’t gone brown or crispy.
Best Answer
Bacon is already cured and smoked. In many cases could be eaten as is but that is not supported by food safety guidelines.
If the meat was opaque, it was cooked. That plus smoke and salt and you are fine, especially if you do not live in a germophobe lifestyle. Parents who sanitize everything incessantly wind up having children with weak immune systems.
Opaque, pink meat is OK. It is the heart and soul of all good barbeque cookery. In the future, for a similar preparation, cook the bacon on the side in a skillet first, then drizzle the fat on the rest of the dish and drape the cooked slices, then you won't have to worry a smidge!
Good luck and hope all goes well with the little one. You'll worry less when you see they are pretty durable!
Pictures about "Was my bacon cooked?"
Quick Answer about "Was my bacon cooked?"
What Does Cooked Bacon Look Like? The best way to determine if bacon is fully cooked is to look at the color. The meat portions will turn from pink to a reddish-brown color, and the fat areas will change from white/creamy to a golden brown color.How do you tell if your bacon is cooked?
Bacon is considered fully cooked when the meat changes color from pink to brown and the fat has had a chance to render out. It's fine to remove the slices from the heat when they're still a bit chewy, but bacon is usually served crisp.How do I know if my bacon is raw?
A good rule of thumb, for crispy bacon atleast, is when the fat and bacon itself starts to get a sort of white foamyness going on. Take it out of the pan then and once it's cool, it'll be good and crispy. If you want something less crispy, just medium low cook it until it's golden brown.What happens if you eat undercooked bacon?
Eating uncooked bacon can expose you to bacteria as well as parasites and can cause either bacterial infections or trichinellosis, also called trichinosis, a parasitic infection. Bacterial infections and trichinellosis can both cause gastrointestinal symptoms.Can you eat slightly undercooked bacon?
You can kill these parasites and reduce your risk of food poisoning by cooking bacon properly. Eating raw bacon can increase your risk of foodborne illnesses, such as toxoplasmosis, trichinosis, and tapeworms. Therefore, it's unsafe to eat raw bacon.The Biggest Mistakes Everyone Makes When Cooking Bacon
Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Images: Angele J, Valeria Boltneva, Artem Savchenko, Polina Tankilevitch