INTRODUCTION: Pork roast is part of the traditional Danish Christmas meal and has been so for several hundreds of years. A novel cooking method is sous vide, in which the meat under vacuum is cooked for a long time at low temperature. Can MRI predict the optimal type of traditional pork roast and the optimal preparation method: oven or sous vide preparation?

METHODS: Two different pork roasts, one from an ordinary pig and one from a pig from an organic farm, were divided in two and randomised to oven cooking or sous vide. All four roasts underwent MRI at 1.5 tesla before and after preparation for evaluation of the fat content, as fat has an influence on taste. A test panel blinded to type of roast evaluated taste, juiciness and texture.

RESULTS: Eleven persons participated in the tasting (three men, eight women). Median age group was 30-39 years, and the median consumption of pork roast was once every half year. All roasts lost weight during the preparation. The favourite roast among participants was the one from an organic farm cooked sous vide.

CONCLUSION: Pork roast cooked sous vide instead of oven-cooked was preferred among different healthcare professionals blinded to the type of preparation.