Odd issue getting out of the Danger Zone

84Tigers said:

JMack: so if I have a butt that is around 130° internal temp after five hours during the beginning of the cook, if I continue and finish it off to an internal temp around 200 or 205° you would not have any concerns? I usually take them up to about that temp. I appreciate the feedback from you and everyone else on this matter as I learn more about it.

Thanks,
Todd

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The only theoretical issue to worry about there is botulism toxin created when the meat was at a lower temp will survive at and above 205 even though the bacteria is dead. This is not usually a concern with whole cuts of meat in an open air smoker because the bacteria needs anaerobic conditions to make toxin, but if you injected, poked, prodded etc. especially with raw garlic, I take extra precautions and want to at least get to 130 in 4 ish hours. (Your 5 wouldn’t scare me, but just hitting 130 after 12 hours would). If the meat gets warm while in a cryovac or vacuum bag, then I am MUCH more concerned because the anaerobic risk is real.

FWIW, the risk here is incredibly low, as in I have never even heard of a pulled pork botulism case not involving vacuum bags, but it isn’t hard to get to 130 in a few hours unless you are cold smoking, in which case I turn to curing salts for safety.

Botulism is not what I typically think of when talking about pork, but it could be introduced through other ingredients (particularly any home canned or other improperly preserved goods). However, the toxin produced is denatured at a lower temperature than is required to kill the spores, about 190 vs 250 F, respectively.

In terms of the time to reach or exceed 140 I agree. I've had butts struggle to get to temp and take 8-10 hours, with several hours under 160 and I didnt give it a second thought from a safety perspective.