40 to 140 in 4...A Guideline and what to consider...

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Need some reassurance on this brisket : I started my smoke at 6 Pm on a 9lb brisket point and a 9 lbs picnic pork shoulder. Smoker set at 225 with Amazen pellet maze for 4+ hours burning from both ends.

The pork was injected with Long Island tea and liberally coated with a table blend of mrs dash when I got up at 4 am the pork was 174 so no worries.

The brisket however worries me I found it at 144* at 4 am, went into the smoker with 35* IT, no injection, but bathed in Long Island ice tea in a aluminum pan and Cavendish Greek Seasoning. The high for yesterday was 38* and it’s 30* right now.

Foiled both pans at 4 Am after adding one can of cherry coke each. Raised temp to 240*.

Should I be worried about the brisket?
 
Need some reassurance on this brisket : I started my smoke at 6 Pm on a 9lb brisket point and a 9 lbs picnic pork shoulder. Smoker set at 225 with Amazen pellet maze for 4+ hours burning from both ends.

The pork was injected with Long Island tea and liberally coated with a table blend of mrs dash when I got up at 4 am the pork was 174 so no worries.

The brisket however worries me I found it at 144* at 4 am, went into the smoker with 35* IT, no injection, but bathed in Long Island ice tea in a aluminum pan and Cavendish Greek Seasoning. The high for yesterday was 38* and it’s 30* right now.

Foiled both pans at 4 Am after adding one can of cherry coke each. Raised temp to 240*.

Should I be worried about the brisket?
No problem. Your brisket falls into the intact area of the first post:
If the Meat, a Pork Butt, Beef Brisket, Etc, is INTACT, other than Therm Probe, it don't matter if the IT takes 4 hours or 24 hours to get above 140 if we want it there at all!!! The interior of muscle is Sterile, so there is no Bacteria to worry about. Additionally, at 225°F, the meat surface will pass 140°F in 30 to 60 minutes or less, depending on the size of the meat. All surface bacteria is Killed and there is very little that can change that.
 
No problem. Your brisket falls into the intact area of the first post:
If the Meat, a Pork Butt, Beef Brisket, Etc, is INTACT, other than Therm Probe, it don't matter if the IT takes 4 hours or 24 hours to get above 140 if we want it there at all!!! The interior of muscle is Sterile, so there is no Bacteria to worry about. Additionally, at 225°F, the meat surface will pass 140°F in 30 to 60 minutes or less, depending on the size of the meat. All surface bacteria is Killed and there is very little that can change that.
Thanks for the response it was what I was hoping for.
Brisket is at 187* , moved to the bottom rack of the MES 40. Just pulled the pork at 203,* peak at 210*, sat on the counter for more than 2 hrs before dropping below 180* and pulled great. First time using cave tools wolverine claws which was super easy and no burns.
once again thanks .
 
Question: even if you somehow introduced bacteria through a thermometer probe, or took too long to get the meat past 140, won't cooking pulled pork to 200 IT kill virtually anything that might be a problem?
 
Question: even if you somehow introduced bacteria through a thermometer probe, or took too long to get the meat past 140, won't cooking pulled pork to 200 IT kill virtually anything that might be a problem?
Right. That's what I quoted in post #62. If in doubt with responses in the first five pinned food safety forum threads, read posts #1 and use a digital therm with multiple probes and set the pit probe to a high low range like 145-290 that sets off an alarm and that should alert you to a smoker issue so it doesn't become a food safety senario.
 
Question: even if you somehow introduced bacteria through a thermometer probe, or took too long to get the meat past 140, won't cooking pulled pork to 200 IT kill virtually anything that might be a problem?

First, A Probe will not introduce enough bacteria to be significant.
Our only concern is Ground, Injected, Punctured and filled with whatever, and Boned and Tied meat.
You are correct that eventually the heat will kill all Live Bacteria, so they are of no concern. The Problem is some Bacteria, like the super common Staphylococcus Aureus, generates TOXIN as it eats and multiplies. This Toxin is Heat Stable and no amount of Cooking will deactivate it's harmful effects.
An example would be...Smoking a Pork Button punched full of Garlic, in July. You fire up the smoker, add the meat and go running errands because you know it will take 12 hours to cook. You get back home 8 hours later to find the Smoker died, 1 hour after you added the meat. The meat has been sitting at a balmy 90°, a prime incubation temp, for 7 hours. You figure you will just finish the cook at 325°F, to kill Bacteria, until it will pull at an IT of 205...Everyone gets sick!
The culprit is the TOXIN not the Bacteria...JJ
 
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