bad meat or bad smoker?

[mike1534]

i smoked a brisket the other weekend and my wife and i were throwing up the next day all day. im not sure if it was the meat or my smoker. i recently put a "grill safe no bad vapor" sealant on the edge to lock in the heat and smoke. im wondering if it could have been the sealant or not. the sealant never touched the meat or was even near it. the meat was up to temperature and bought from a butcher. thank you.

 

[BGKYSmoker]

i smoked a brisket the other weekend and my wife and i were throwing up the next day all day. im not sure if it was the meat or my smoker. i recently put a "grill safe no bad vapor" sealant on the edge to lock in the heat and smoke. im wondering if it could have been the sealant or not. the sealant never touched the meat or was even near it. the meat was up to temperature and bought from a butcher. thank you.

Prob the smoker as you never want to lock heat and smoke in. You want your smoker to breath.

 

[mossymo]

How long was the brisket in the smoker till the meat reached an internal meat temperature of 140º?

 

[jarjarchef]

I am sorry to hear of the illness. That really sucks to have happen......

Something to keep in mind is some food born illnesses can take up to 3 days to rear their head. I am not saying it was or was not the beef or sealant. Just to look at everything and see if anyone else had issue with items you have in common.

Did the beef have and off odor, color or slimy feel? Did the smoke smell different than before. Did you follow proper installation of the seal and was it designed for the use of a smoker or the temps it gets too?

I know a lot of things to look at, but I am only asking so you can figure out where the issue came from so you don't go through it again...

 

[oldschoolbbq]

Send a little more info. ... how was the meat treated after purchase , was it in the danger zone for a period of time before cooking , how long did it take to get to 145°IT from initial placement in the smoker , i.e.- explain all you did .

I would,if you haven't already , throw the meat out ... the chance of Botulism is too suspect here ; better be safe and lose $ , than life...

Just saying...have fun and,

 

[mike1534]

the meat went from the butcher into my fridge it was rubbed down and then back in the fridge for 24 hours. it was out for 30 min prior to being put on the smoke and it was at 225 for 9 hours until it hit 160 internal.4 of us ate the meat only 2 got sick

 

[jarjarchef]

If 4 ate it and only 2 got sick. I am not a doctor, but my guess would be that it was something else. I go back to the 3 day incubation and or a stomach virus you happen to get at the same time.

Sorry you had to go through it..

 

[mike1534]

so we its not the smoker? because i dont want to have to go buy another one. ha

 

[linguica]

My vote would be for a combination of a smoker too tightly sealed and too much smoke. I over smoked  some pork ribs and they had a smoky "tang" to them. Didn't feel so well after dinner either.

 

[jarjarchef]

I did not see a smoker type. I am assuming it is a propane smoker. Either way try to get it to like 350 and let it run for about an hour or so. This will help burn of anything. Then reseason it and try another item like chicken. That is what I would do. Since you modified it, most places will not take it back....

 

[mike1534]

ill take the sealant off and run it at a higher temp for the last hour next time thanks for all the suggestions and help.

 

[sigmo]

If four ate the meat but only two got sick, then it wasn't the smoker or the meat, unless the two who got sick ate a lot more of the meat than those who did not get sick. Or the two who got sick have compromised immune systems.

I'd still pitch the meat. But I suspect it may have been something else.

As others said: Run the temp up in the smoker and have the vents open for a long "break-in" run to drive off all of the fumes from the glue. But that probably isn't necessary because the glue says it's safe, still no more trouble than it is, you may as well do the hot de-stinking run.

Again, having said that, I doubt it was the smoker.

 

[s2k9k]

Mike, was there anything the two of you ate that the other two didn't?

Just so you know I moved your thread to the "General Discussion" forum, I think it better fits over here.

When you get a minute would you do us a favor and go to Roll Call and introduce yourself so we can get to know you and give you a proper welcome, also would you add your location to your profile, we like knowing where you are when we talk to you, Thanks!

 

[jarjarchef]

Not sure what you used for a sealant. Check it out first before you remove it.

I have seen these used :

This is used for tight seals. They put plastic wrap over the open where they do not want the sealant to stick to. Close the lid/door with a little pressure, but not to completely close it. So when the door is latched it compresses and forms a seal.

http://www.lowes.com/pd_40074-98-CP-25WB+_4294729414__?productId=3372952&Ns=p_product_avg_rating|1

or this works too if you have the space.

http://www.homedepot.com/buy/us-stove-3-8-in-rope-gasket-kit-dgk2.html#.ULAad-TLRRc

 

[linguica]

As a member of the food service industry, we were required to take a food safety refresher course every 6 months. The rules are simple, mostly temp control, cross-contamination and hand washing. Even at home we strictly follow the rules. Like my wife would say " if you follow the rules the only thing that can go wrong is your cooking"

                                                                                                                                                                                                              

 

[sigmo]

As a member of the food service industry, we were required to take a food safety refresher course every 6 months. The rules are simple, mostly temp control, cross-contamination and hand washing. Even at home we strictly follow the rules. Like my wife would say " if you follow the rules the only thing that can go wrong is your cooking"

Hmmm. So all of my food safety efforts aren't making my cooking better?



Hmmmm. That explains a lot! :D

Phoned in.

 

[mike1534]

linguica- ive also been in the food industry and i know how strict it is trust me i am always checking temps and always washing my hands with hot water and soap and changing my cutting bpards and knives out so im quite positive that if the meat was contaminated it had happend before i received it.

jarjarchef- i used a similar one to the top like a calking type sealant that said food safe. i tried to get the fiber glass rope like your last picture but they are not sold in the home depot by my house (a little irritating but i am a lowes guy my self). but thank you for the types.

 

[jarjarchef]

The one you used what is the heat rating? Not saying yours was bad, but their are different ones and they are a much lower heat resistance rating.

For the fiberglass rope you can find more in different sites online and even some different lengths and diameters... Some use the glue as in the kit and some use pop rivets.

I agree about Lowes, prefer them myself. They had a similar kit, but I was not able to find it. I would go and ask them, they may have to special order it, mine was going too...

 

[mike1534]

the heat rating is 450. so im not even going to come close to that while smoking. i mean mine is a smoker/grill but i use only for smoking so between 225 and 250

 

[jarjarchef]

the heat rating is 450. so im not even going to come close to that while smoking. i mean mine is a smoker/grill but i use only for smoking so between 225 and 250
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I agree. I would think if it is rated to 450 and you are not exceeding 300 you would be fine. I would keep an eye on the integrity of it as you use it. I would not remove until it starts to show wear or leaks. You may never have to replace it. If you do you have some options. I have used a smoker that had the silicone sealant to seal some edges. They have used some chemicals to clean it and it sits out in the Florida sun, after about a year it needs to be replaced.

Stick with what you have and adjust if needed. That is what I would do if it was my smoker.