Originally Posted by
Owlchick
BamaVol, back in the day folks used to cook pork for long, long times, well past the point where we'd do so today, in order to kill pesky pork germs.
Back in the day, pork also used to be much fattier than what you'll find today at anyplace other than a specialty purveyor. The high fat content made the meat much more forgiving of longer cooking times.