Need help asap!!!

Dex

Dex

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My Fire went out.... and I dont know when.

I started my smoke with 8 pork butts and 2 briskets. I was going to do 180 for 8 hours then finish at 250. (Cooking on a FEC-100)

I started last night, and went to bed with just over 5 hours left at 180. I set my alarm to go off when it was supposed to go up to 250 to make sure everything was ok.

When I got out there. My fire had gone out. And I am not sure long ago. The oven temp was at 150, and my fire pot was half full of pellets.

Internal temp of pork butts were in the 130s and the Internal temp of the briskets were upper 140s.

I got it fired up, but my biggest concern and main question is, is the food going to be ok?

Please respond ASAP... I may need to go get another load of meat if its bad. I'll be posting this on other forums in hope of getting the quickest response.
 
I would get the temp up to 250 as soon as possible. Cooking at that low of a temp is dangerous because you are leaving the meat in the danger zone for so long. When the meat is at 160 it should be safe. Just make sure you get the meat to 160 as soon as possible.
 
Pyle's BBQ said:
I would get the temp up to 250 as soon as possible. Cooking at that low of a temp is dangerous because you are leaving the meat in the danger zone for so long. When the meat is at 160 it should be safe. Just make sure you get the meat to 160 as soon as possible.
Click to expand...

Doing a two stage smoke in a FEC-100 is common to alter the smoke profile of the meat. My concern is the current internal temps of the meat and how long they have been there. I'm at 250 now, and like I mentioned above, never fell below 150.

I just need to know if my meat is still salvageable or if I need to trash it.
 
No you don't need to trash it. As long the meat gets above 160 it will kill anything that might have developed.
 
Pyle's BBQ said:
No you don't need to trash it. As long the meat gets above 160 it will kill anything that might have developed.
Click to expand...

Do you think the quality of the end product will be any different?
 
I don't think it will be much different. Like you said you usually do a two stage smoke. I don't think your fire was out for very long. The FEC is insulated, right?
 
Pyle's BBQ said:
I don't think it will be much different. Like you said you usually do a two stage smoke. I don't think your fire was out for very long. The FEC is insulated, right?
Click to expand...

Yeah, and it was still warm. It read 150 in the smoker, but the pork butts were only in the 130s
 
Most of us don't do such a low temp first stage for so long, which sounds like a long time in the danger zone all by itself, but that in combination with the unknown time that the fire was out, sure sounds iffy.

If it were me, I wouldn't chance it. Easy for me to say since I don't have a couple of hundred of dollars of meat at stake.

Do you have time to get and cook another load?
 
HeSmellsLikeSmoke said:
Most of us don't do such a low temp first stage for so long, which sounds like a long time in the danger zone all by itself, but that in combination with the unknown time that the fire was out, sure sounds iffy.

If it were me, I wouldn't chance it. Easy for me to say since I don't have a couple of hundred of dollars of meat at stake.

Do you have time to get and cook another load?
Click to expand...

I do... but it would be close
 
I do have a question. What do you mean by altering the smoke profile in the meat. From everything I have read, meat stops accepting smoke at 120*. Are you trying to get more smoke into the meat by keeping it at a lower temp for so long?
 
Pyle's BBQ said:
I do have a question. What do you mean by altering the smoke profile in the meat. From everything I have read, meat stops accepting smoke at 120*. Are you trying to get more smoke into the meat by keeping it at a lower temp for so long?
Click to expand...

Yes. The FEC-100 burns so clean that the the smoke taste isn't as strong as a stick burner or other smokers that use chunks of wood.

Doing a two stage cooks exposes the meat to smoke longer as it warms up. The FEC also smokes more at lower temps as well.

Fast Eddy himself does the 180 for 8 hours then finishes at 250 in his competition cooking.
 
the butts were around 137 or so and the briskets were in the upper 140s

Butts are now in the 140s and briskets in the 150s
 
You are fine. Keep going. If you trash the meat I'll be so p!ssed off with you....

This is a topic that comes up every few months, and usually, the guy with the problem tosses out perfectly good meat because they have asked the forum what to do, and people with no understanding of bacteriology and meat processing methods tell you to throw it out... you know... better to be safe that sorry...:crazy:

You are FINE. Keep GOING!

Cheers!

Bill
 
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Reactions: Dex
Sorry for not making this clear. I was wanting to know what the internal temp of the meat is during a normal cook where the fire does not go out.

Bill, I am with you on that.
 
SmokinAussie said:
You are fine. Keep going. If you trash the meat I'll be so p!ssed off with you....

This is a topic that comes up every few months, and usually, the guy with the problem tosses out perfectly good meat because they have asked the forum what to do, and people with no understanding of bacteriology and meat processing methods tell you to throw it out... you know... better to be safe that sorry...:crazy:

You are FINE. Keep GOING!

Cheers!

Bill
Click to expand...

Thanks Bill. Do you think the quality of my end product will be just as good as it would have been if I didn't have the fire go out?
 
Pyle's BBQ said:
Sorry for not making this clear. I was wanting to know what the internal temp of the meat is during a normal cook where the fire does not go out.

Bill, I am with you on that.
Click to expand...

At the 8 hour mark? I'm not really sure... I cant say I have never paid much attention if the fire is still going strong!
 
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