HELP - Smoking a Pork Shoulder and my grill Temp fell to 130-150 degrees overnight.

[rick79]

I started smoking a pork shoulder over night and checked it every 2 hours and the temp kept falling to around 150 degrees.  I was trying to keep it around 225 degrees.  I woke up for the final check and it was around 130 degrees.  Can I just bring the temp back up for the last few hours and be ok?  The internal temp on the shoulder is around 140 degrees right now.

Please HELP!!

 

[bubbonehead]

I say yes but if getting the heat back up produces a lot of thick smoke, remove the meat or wrap in foil until you get back to the thin blue smoke. Or you could finish it in the oven. That's my two cents anyway. Good luck.

 

[slufa111]

Depends on what your meat temperature was at actually. If your shoulder sat at 150 then it's fine....if your shoulder sat at 130 for several hours...I would be concerned about bacteria growth.

I always wondered how people kept charcoal temperature stable for 8+ hours...

Sent from my MB870 using Tapatalk 2

 

[nickyb]

Bubbonehead is right you should be able to get it back up to temp.  My concern would be bacteria.  You haven't maintained it hot enough long enough and as such it is ripe for the little buggers to set in.  But then again I always worry about that.

Otherwise yes you should be able to get the smoker going again or if you are worried about time and maintaining the temp go ahead wrap in foil and throw in the oven.  It has already gotten as much smoke into the meat as I would take so there is not reason to maintain it on the smoker any longer unless that is your preference.

NickyB 

 

[bubbonehead]

If we were talking about pulling the meat now to eat, then microbial growth would be an issue. However continuing to cook until you reach that magic internal temperature will kill any bacteria. That's what I remember from a food safety class I took years ago. Maybe one of the pro chefs could chime in here and back that up or educate us.

 

[pops6927]

A few questions:

1. what was the last known internal temp reading before it started to fall?

2. how long did the roast  sit at that or lower temp until you discovered it?

3. how long after discovering the low temp has it been to this point?

 

[rick79]

Thanks everyone!

The last known internal temp was about 130-140 degrees and it sat there for maybe and hour(?).  I was still planning on smoking it for another 3 hours.  My major concern is the bacteria.....I don't want to get anyone sick! 

I do have the grill back up to around 275 degrees now.  But, again, my concern is bacteria.  This is the first time I've ever smoked a pork shoulder.  I've been told that if you don't cook pork just right it will bite you big time.  Should I pitch this one and give it a go another time?

 

[daveomak]

rick79, morning....  There is a rule about "whole intact muscle" when it come to cooking....   The outside of the meat needs to come to 150 or so for an hour or so to kill the surface bacteria....  Then it can be probed with a therm and no bacteria will be "pushed" into the meat.....  Then the cooking time is "somewhat" irrelevant and the time temp calculations don't directly apply..... 

As long as the smoker temp cooked the outside of the meat and it was not probed when cold, you are good to go... That being said, the IT of the roast at 140 was probably there for a long time and the surface temp quite a bit higher, and I would eat it, no problem.... There is also a "holding" time temp rule Chef JimmyJ can explain... Holding the meat at a given temp, say 140 for 3 hours, (or something like that, don't quote me) will kill all bacteria and make meat safe to eat... 

Sounds like the temp just dropped in the smoker..... I would bring it back to 225 and finish it off.... 205 or so for pulling....

Dave     

 

[pops6927]

This is an excerpt from another situation posted by Chef Jimmy J which applies here:

".......[color= rgb(24, 24, 24)]meat was over 125* for three or more hours....You should be fine especially if you plan to pull it. At 200*+ any Botulism Toxin that may be there, Very Rare, will be rendered safe...Enjoy your Pork...JJ"[/color]

 

[frosty]

Pops and Dave are correct, and certainly know their stuff! 

If the smoker temp was 225, for more that a couple of hours and the interior temp above 140 (as you stated above) that would essentially seal the exterior portion of the muscle.

I believe the exterior surface would be fine, so long as the meat wasn't probed when cold.  I think that so long as you keep the temp at about 225 for the remainder of the smoke you will be OK.

Happy Memorial day!

 

[bubbonehead]

Now that is what I love about this forum! The accumulated knowledge always impresses me without a doubt, but the willingness to help a brother out is what sets this group of people apart!

Don't forget to let us know how it turns out.

 

[steamboatwilly]

rick79, morning....  There is a rule about "whole intact muscle" when it come to cooking....   The outside of the meat needs to come to 150 or so for an hour or so to kill the surface bacteria....  Then it can be probed with a therm and no bacteria will be "pushed" into the meat.....  Then the cooking time is "somewhat" irrelevant and the time temp calculations don't directly apply..... 
   

this piece of information is invaluable. I would have not put it into perspective i guess. It makes sense though.