Learned a valuable lesson today

[pigcicles]

The Danger Zone is the area where bacteria live and can cause harmful results if food is eaten. When your food is between 40º - 140º that bacteria is thriving.

You want to get through this temp zone as soon as possible (less than 4 hours) to prevent sickness and to kill the bacteria.

Personally I would probably finish cooking it and eat it - but I won't recommend that you do so.

Let us know what you decided to do buster.

 

[pignit]

Simple rule...... Temp of the meat must not be between 40 degrees and 140 degrees for more than 4 hours.

 

[pineywoods]

If you keep the smoker temps at 225-250 getting thru the "Danger Zone" is usually not any problem. If the meat in this thread had made 140 in 5 hours I might have taken a chance but it didn't and its just really not worth risking my family's health for a 15-20 dollar piece of meat

 

[bigsteve]

We have a whole forum dedicated to food safety, which would be a heading the "danger zone" falls under. It's not as much reading as it looks:
http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/for...play.php?f=181

 

[schoolbob]

I just wanted to round out this thread and post my final thoughts. I went ahead and finished the smoke yesterday, but I wouldn't serve it to anyone else. I went ahead and ate some (we'll see if I die). The worst part is, it was the best pulled prok I have made to date. It was simply amazing...LOL.

Figures. Anyway, thanks again for all of the advice. I think too that if I take a nap again, I will, as suggested, wait until the meat reaches 140 before I go pass out. Also, I will no longer puncture the meat prior to being in the smoke for a couple of hours.

All in all, I am nearly certain the meat is fine, but like everyone said, it was just not worth the risk getting my family and friends sick. If It is just me, I can live with it. If I don't turn up sick in a couple of days, I can at least get some good sammies for the wife and kid later this week.

And yes, I have been schooled!

 

[pineywoods]

Good idea you may very well be fine with it but I just couldn't recommend you serve it. I don't put a probe into the larger cuts of meat until about 3.5 hours into the smoke.

 

[rickw]

That's some good advice. I use a IR therm unit to make sure the outside of the meat is above 140F before I probe the meat.

 

[bigsteve]

You really should pitch it and forget about it. I know money and food hurts to waste, but it was an accident after all.