Big Mistake!!!!

[mph33]

Yesterday I slow cooked two butts that ranged in sizes of 11 lb and 6 lb they got done around 2:00 am I finish them off in the oven. I placed them in the cooler wrapped in towels and try to pull it not even 15 minutes ago. When I pulled the meat out the internal temperature one was 121° and the other but was 127°. So technically they sat in that cooler from around 2:15 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.. is the meat ruined?

 

[pjtexas1]

These are tough. Technically there's a 4 hour window after they drop below 140 before they are deemed unsafe to eat. I don't know how long it was below 140. Someone should know how to guess at what rate the temps fell and give you a time window.

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[thirdeye]

So, would they have been in the 200° range when coolered? And they were wrapped in foil, and with towels for extra insulation?

They should have easily been >141° for 5 or 6 hours. I believe by the USDA rules you are within 1 hour +/- of the food safety window. The rules are a little conservative, and if the butts had been sitting on a serving table all kinds of bacteria could have multiplied. Wrapped in foil and in a cooler is a much different environment. Plus you are in the top end of the danger zone with temps in the 120°'s.

 

[Happy Hapgood]

Eat it. It's already cooked.

 

[frayedend]

Eat it. It's already cooked.

Yup. This comes up a lot. But think of it this way. When you cook it, any bad bacteria that has been on it from processing has been killed. Being in the danger zone after that will only be contaminated from the environment. Not likely to get gut bacteria from animals on it. Maybe there's a clostridium colony that could get on it but enough air that it won't grow.

Think about a holiday where people are eating food that's been out all day. No issues generally speaking.

 

[SweetHeatBBQnSC]

I would definitely eat it.

 

[kevinstaggs]

And up to bat... pulled pork nachos.

 

[Mike Twangzer]

Well ... what did you do ? Are you still alive ???? Did you gift it to a neighbor ? Are they still alive ?

 

[robertm]

Roughly speaking they sat in the cooler for 8 hrs and dropped 80 degrees. Conservatively they still spent less than 2 hrs under 140. I wouldn't sweat it at all especially as others have stated they remained wrapped the whole time, not sitting out on a countertop or in serving dish.

Australia/New Zealand food standards have a 2hr/4hr rule that makes pretty good sense:

Food held between 5°C and 60°C for less than 2 hours can be used, sold or put back in the refrigerator to use later.

Food held between 5°C and 60°C for 2-4 hours can still be used or sold, but can’t be put back in the fridge.

Food held between 5°C and 60°C for 4 hours or more must be thrown away.

60C = 140F

 

[Chester]

I guess he ate it and we will never hear from him again. Shame..

I am sure it is fine. Worst that likely could happen is you have to sit on the porcelain throne a bit more than normal.

 

[Gimmethecash]

I guess he ate it and we will never hear from him again. Shame..

I am sure it is fine. Worst that likely could happen is you have to sit on the porcelain throne a bit more than normal.

...with a trash can or other high-capacity vessel in front of you. Just sayin’

 

[CivilTrojan]

...with a trash can or other high-capacity vessel in front of you. Just sayin’

That brings up bad memories, been there done that, don’t recommend it! But I still would’ve eaten that pork, I’m sure it was fine... hopefully we hear from him soon.

 

[Nuco59]

I think the 2nd most used phrase on this site is "When in doubt, throw it out".

In these gadget rich times, there are all sorts of ways of keeping up with time /setting reminders: fancy watch, computer, range timer, microwave timer, stand alone kitchen timer, cell phone set to an alarm or a count down timer. If I just rely on me to remind me- I'm pretty much screwed- so I use at least one of the above. It tends to cut down on me shrugging and guessing.

 

[Mike Twangzer]

If we don't hear from him .... am I to assume the worse ? Maybe he got arrested for giving it to a neighbor ...

 

[4ever3]

Hit n’ run post...

Orrrrrr he’s DEAD!!!

 

[Hoss]

Is it me or does “He” throw away a lotta food? Just asking?

 

[BobBrisket]

Well, I guess at this point, he ate it or tossed it. Slow cooked and then tossed in the oven to finish? Slow cooked.....how? Why would cooler them that long? Maybe plan your timing a bit better??? Bit of a weight diff on them too. Wow, many interesting variables here.
What brand cooler? Butcher paper or just a towel? Technically, Did you over sleep?:twisted:
Bob

 

[Cook]

Just to get a few facts straight...most (all) restaurants follow some form of the FDA Food Code..."we" could care less what the USDA says on the matter.

With that said, the critical low hot-holding temp is 135...not 140. Now...in the restaurant, I would have thrown those away as soon as I saw them. At home, I would have cut the large butt in half, wrapped all the pieces in foil, and popped them in a 350 oven until each reached an IT of at least 165-170.

 

[4ever3]

Wellllll, I guess he’s gone...

May we have a moment of silence fer mph...

 

[thirdeye]

Crickets on these kind of stories either mean two things.... "the pork was great and everything came out just dandy" -OR- "Uncle Joe got food poisoning which required a stomach pumping, some dry cleaning and a visit to the auto detail shop".