How long can pork sit at room temperature before cooking?

Answer 1

four hours is the max for any food at room temperature.

Four hours is too long. Potentially hazardous food should not be left out more than 2 hours. If the ambient temperature is around 90°F, cut that to 1 hour.

The US Food Code recommends that potentially hazardous food be cooled from 140°F to 70°F within 2 hours, then further chilled to 40°F within another 4 hours. So after 2 hours, the food should either be reheated to 165°F or placed in the fridge to cool further.

Four hours was an old recommendation, but that was to get the food from 140°F to 40°F. Which means it would have to be fully chilled by the end of that time frame - not still sitting out at room temperature.

Answer 2

I ate pork being left out for 12 hours with no issues

Answer 3

It should not be left at room temperature for more than 2 hours. At that point, it should be reheated or refrigerated.

Answer 4

No more than a couple of hours.