Loin at 80 degrees: Tonkatsu · 503

A thin, even fat cap along one edge keeps the muscle from drying; a fully trimmed loin cooks noticeably tougher. Centre-cut loin should show a pale pink eye and a modest fat cap; excess purge means poor handling. The long muscle running along the back, barely worked and therefore very lean. Nearly every breaded cutlet in the world comes from here — schnitzel, tonkatsu, milanesa — because a lean, even muscle is exactly what a coating needs to protect.

Colour, sinew, where the fat sits, and thickness are what you check before you pay. Ask for the thickness that matches “Tonkatsu.” Use 80 degrees and 80 when you cook. Salt after you know the job. Do not play with undercooked meat. Cook Loin to 80 degrees and serve it as “Tonkatsu.” The other figure to watch is 80. Do not time a hard-working muscle like a thin steak. Colour before heat is not doneness. Modern pork is safe at 63°C with a three-minute rest. The habit of cooking it grey comes from a parasite risk that no longer exists in farmed pork.

Cook Loin to 80 degrees and serve it as “Tonkatsu.” The other figure to watch is 80. Do not time a hard-working muscle like a thin steak. Colour before heat is not doneness. Modern pork is safe at 63°C with a three-minute rest. The habit of cooking it grey comes from a parasite risk that no longer exists in farmed pork.