Duck- Danger Zone

[smokehunter]

I'm going to cook some wild duck for a christmas party tonight. They have been in a mini refrig soaking in salt water for several days. I marinated them last night and wrapped them in bacon. I noticed this a.m. that the freezer part was iced up. I stuck a thermometer in the marinade and it was at 44 deg. So, my question is, I realize the danger zone is 41-140. Do you guys think 3 deg really makes that big of a difference? Thanks for the help.

[Ford]

yes.

[Jacked UP BBQ]

No, there are still HD's that recognize old refrigerators and usable and they run at 45. You are fine.

[smokehunter]

Thanks for the reply's. I'm looking for a tiebreaker .. (out of curiousity what is HD's? thanks)

[PCDoctor_1979]

HD=Health Department. I'd be suspicious of this product over 41*, especially since it's wild game - don't count me as the tiebreaker. I used to think that a few degrees either way really wouldn't matter, but the line is drawn at a certain point for a reason. Just my $0.02!

[Ford]

Originally Posted by PCDoctor_1979

HD=Health Department. I'd be suspicious of this product over 41*, especially since it's wild game - don't count me as the tiebreaker. I used to think that a few degrees either way really wouldn't matter, but the line is drawn at a certain point for a reason. Just my $0.02!

there is a specific reason for 41f. At that temp or below all the nasty bacteria grows extremely slowly so you can keep meat in a regular fridge for 4-5 days without a problem. But once you get above 41F the nasty stuff multiplies rapidly and until you hit 165f you may not kill them all. Our bodies will kill one or 2 little germs usually but after you get thousands they cause problems. At 45F for a day think many many thousands being born. And 165F will kill them but you can still get sick from the dead bacteria - probably won't kill you though.

The above is ServSafe and USDA rules and applies to commercial vendors. People can choose to ignore them and many times everybody is just fine. It's like at the fair when you go to win a prize by throwing the softball to knock over the milk bottles. You pays your money, sometimes you win and sometimes you lose. Difference is losing with food safety can mean a trip to the hospital to get your stomach pumped. If it happens to your wife trust me you won't ever take a chance again.

[Jacked UP BBQ]

Bacteria Danger Zone
Once you have your thermometer, feel free to go a little crazy at first, temping everything. The Danger Zone is 45 to 140°F. This is the number one way that food gets adulterated. You see, all meat, poultry, fish and dairy is contaminated to a certain extent. Germs need food, moisture and time to grow. There are already "killer" bacteria in many foods you eat every day, but they're in such tiny quantities that your body's natural digestion process can take care of them, so the food you eat isn't harmful. Have you ever traveled abroad, and were told "don't drink the water," but noticed that the locals drink it every day? They've built up natural defenses to the pathogens in the water supply, so they don't get affected the way you would. You've enjoyed relatively sanitary food your whole life, so you actually have less resistance than an average, healthy person from many "less developed" countries. So how does this matter to the temperature of food? Well, you need to understand that there are already bacteria in food, and freezing the food doesn't kill the bacteria. Keeping the food refrigerated doesn't kill the bacteria. All you are doing is slowing the germs' reproduction down. That's why chicken, meat, fish and dairy spoil quickly, even in the fridge. The germs are multiplying from the time the animal was killed. These items are kept refrigerated to keep them wholesome enough to eat within a reasonable amount of time. They still contain bacteria, though.

[theflints01]

Is your thermometer calibrated? Only being 3 F above the limit is well within the margin of error for many thermometers if they haven't been calibrated for a while. That being said if your thermometer is accurate (aka theremapen), I'd eat it, but wouldn't serve it at a party.

[roksmith]

I'd trash it. Even if you kept it at 40 degrees for several days, you're already outside the recomended storage time for raw duck. At 45...?

http://www.fsis.usda.gov/FactSheets/...able/index.asp