I already know the answer, but please confirm it for me...

THoey1963

THoey1963

somebody shut me the fark up.
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Have a couple briskets, a Wagyu and a Prime, they've been wet aging for a couple weeks in my garage fridge. Planned to trim them and smoke them tomorrow. Been checking the fridge every day, the last time was yesterday. Late tonight, I went to grab something from that fridge and the light is off. Reset the breaker and it comes back on. Grab my Thermapen, open it up and toss it in the fridge for a couple minutes. It's 70*. The briskets are in cryovac, so I don't want to poke them to get an internal temp. I'm smoking for a bunch of friends. Did I just lose $150 in briskets? I can do the nose test in the morning, but wanting to prepare myself for the worst...
 
Hard to Say since you didn't Temp them (but even if you Had you wouldn't know for How long they'd been at said temp)..........Guess it's up to Your Sniffer in the A.M........
 
when you say breaker do you mean a GFI ? ,your not supposed to run a fridge on a GFI , I work on fridges for a living and see this happen , it will work but at some time it will trip. the nose will tell you how bad it is, hate it happened to you
 
Dang Terry, that sux!

As always, the nose knows...
 
Put the probe between the 2 briskets and get your temp. Internal temp doesn't matter for raw meat. The outside is where the spoilage will occur since that's where bacteria, mold and yeast would for grow, not internally. The "nose test" is the least effective "test", and a complete waste of time, by the time a rank smell is detectable, it's WAY too late!
Look at the cryo, is it still tight or is it loose and airy? Still tight, its probably ok.
 
I wouldn't risk it, last time I got food poisoning I'd gladly paid any amount to not have it.
 
Yeah, if you didn’t confirm that the meat was below at least below 50 when you found it, I’d pitch it. That sucks. It’s happened to me before. I know the feeling.
 
If it doesn’t fit, you must acquit.

Wait


When in doubt, throw it out.

Booty Demons at the ER at expensive
Double bag and trash would be my route
 
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Im sure people are gonna condemn this answer, but I'd eat it. Any bad stuff on a whole cut of beef will only be on the surface, not internal, that's why you can eat beef rare as long as outside is cooked. Smell it, maybe wash down with vinegar and let sit for a few then rinse. The outside of the briskets is gonna get cooked very well, hence the crust/bark.

And yes, i have had food poisoning (dr tested), and would not wish it on my worse enemy. If the meat in question was pork or poultry, i would say throw it a long ways.
 
I'm afraid the odds are against you on this one. Loosing $150 in briskets is better than loosing friend because they got sick.

Our senses are important.... an off-color look, slimy feel or a bad smell are wonderful indicators that spoilage is underway, but spoilage or rancidity takes time, a certain temperature range, oxygen moisture etc. However, what causes illness and death are often things that we can't taste, see, or smell. Salmonella, E. coli and C. botulinum are usually undetectable by our senses.
 
I agree with most here. I would have probed the internal temp through the cryovac. But 70 degrees is pretty dang hot.
 
Ohhhhh.... hard to say from out here in cyber space.
Nose test, I'd guess.

You need an alarm. I got one for our chest freezer, and one for my Curing/Beer fridge outside. Cheap insurance, both work fine.

https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_fr...XFridge+alarm.TRS0&_nkw=Fridge+alarm&_sacat=0

I have two of these.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Digital-LE...720595?hash=item2ce42d1453:g:3LoAAOSwxx1cTs2d

Mostly, I use them as a visual of the inside temp. But there is the alarm, too.
Cheap enough. Magnets in the back to hang them conveniently on the door or front.
 
I agree that tossing it is the safe choice.

70 is really warm, and if you do a basic calculation on how long it would take to get tham warm. For sake of argument, let's say it went up 2 degrees per hour (which sounds like a lot to me since it was in a insulated box) that would mean it has been above 40 for at least 15 hours.

I'd still say odd are in your favor since its still in good cryo and are whole briskets, but probably not worth the risk
 
When in doubt, pitch it.

It really sucks, but most of us have probably been through something very similar.
 
The key question is would you risk a friend getting ill for $150. I don't think I would. I might, however, cook them for myself as chili meat and taste a bit.

So.. what didja decide?
 
Damn! Sorry Terry.

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk
 
Ain’t worth getting someone sick! Toss em and buy more.
 
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