Boston butt touching, edges Below 140 after 8 hours, is it good?

[ryan in louisville]

i put a brisket and 2 Boston butts on the smoker this morning. I wasn’t awake yet and inadvertently had the 2 butts touching. I just rearranged after 8 hours and the edges are obviously below 140. Are these 2 butts not safe now?

 

[RiversideSm0ker]

I’m actually surprised that the edges are below 140. How far in from the edge do you have to go before it hits over 140? Did you inject the butts with anything? What was the actual temp near the edges that were touching?

George

 

[ryan in louisville]

I’m actually surprised that the edges are below 140. How far in from the edge do you have to go before it hits over 140? Did you inject the butts with anything? What was the actual temp near the edges that were touching?

George

About an inch in the temp was about 135. No injection and I waited 4 hours before I put the probes in.

 

[ryan in louisville]

I just told my wife, who is susceptible to food poisoning much more than me and she thought there was no issue. She thought of it like food in a crockpot.

 

[RiversideSm0ker]

I just told my wife, who is susceptible to food poisoning much more than me and she thought there was no issue. She thought of it like food in a crockpot.

I tend to agree with that. If you didn’t inject it then you didn’t introduce anything foreign to the inside. I know it’s not my meat but I am pretty sure that you will be good. That’s only my opinion of course.

George

 

[flash gordon m.d.]

The bug to worry about for food poisoning is Staphylococcus. As long as you wash your hands with soap and water before you put on the rub, and the meat wasn't handled with unclean hands before that, there shouldn't be a lot of staph germs there to cause problems. Also, if there was salt in the rub, that helps since salt inhibits the growth of bacteria: hence, salted meat and fish.

When I make biltong, for example, the meet stays at room temperature or just above for five or six days, which is safe because of the salt in the brining solution.

I agree with RiversiSmoker and your wife. it sounds very low-risk.