- Jan 20, 2021
- 12
- 13
Hello all,
Brand new to smoking. I have a ZGrill pellet grill. I just tried my third smoked meat.
The first was a pork shoulder. I had a problem, but salvaged it. More on that later. The second was a huge mutton leg (yes, mutton, not lamb!). That came out perfect.
My third was a pork shoulder, started yesterday. Actually it turned out to be two pork shoulders together inside the package. I rubbed them with a half salt homemade rub. They were sort of butterflied? Not a chuck of meat, as they appeared in the package, but able to be rolled out somewhat--not super flat, just a little. I rolled them back into a chunk before smoking.
Here's what happened.
I started the meat around 2pm at 225 degrees. I know from my prior two experiences that large cuts of meat seem to take 15+ hours, despite finding a lot of info on the Internet to the contrary. So I'm just expecting that to be the case. I ignore it for 4 hours, check it (it's nowhere near there), then let it go for another 3 or 4. At this point it's at least 140 degrees in one spot. I didn't check different spots.
I want to go to bed. I know that'll make the meat go a bit long, but I don't know, that's what I decided. I wrapped one in foil and not the other, because I wanted to see what the difference would be.
My smoker has this problem where pellets will fall and create a little sinkhole and stop falling, even though there are plenty in there. I piled them up good over the sinkhole spot. I went to bed. It happened anyway.
When I woke up the smoker was off and the meat was fully cold. I have no idea whether it turned itself off one hour after I went to bed or six hours after I went to bed. I do know that I refrigerated it, cut into it later, and it was firm, a bit pink, a bit moist in the very middle, but certainly not sloppy. It looked like a pork chop, maybe one on the rare side, not like pulled pork, so that gives some idea of how long it cooked.
At first I was like well hell I gotta throw this out. Then I thought, it's winter in Indiana. The outdoors at night is the temperature of a refrigerator. Maybe not? Is it a bit like I cooked it to some temperature and then refrigerated it? Does it depend on whether it ever got up to 160?
My first pork shoulder mistake was similar to this one, but a lot less iffy. I found the meat warm that time and I zapped it in my Instant Pot with some liquid. I froze it and ate it and never got sick.
Can I do the same here? Or did I poison it?
I found this thread, and Chef Jimmy J's response, but obviously a few things are different (pork instead of brisket, higher starting temp, and I think my meat might have been BRT?): https://www.smokingmeatforums.com/threads/smoker-turned-off-while-smoking-a-brisket.249688
chef jimmyj
Brand new to smoking. I have a ZGrill pellet grill. I just tried my third smoked meat.
The first was a pork shoulder. I had a problem, but salvaged it. More on that later. The second was a huge mutton leg (yes, mutton, not lamb!). That came out perfect.
My third was a pork shoulder, started yesterday. Actually it turned out to be two pork shoulders together inside the package. I rubbed them with a half salt homemade rub. They were sort of butterflied? Not a chuck of meat, as they appeared in the package, but able to be rolled out somewhat--not super flat, just a little. I rolled them back into a chunk before smoking.
Here's what happened.
I started the meat around 2pm at 225 degrees. I know from my prior two experiences that large cuts of meat seem to take 15+ hours, despite finding a lot of info on the Internet to the contrary. So I'm just expecting that to be the case. I ignore it for 4 hours, check it (it's nowhere near there), then let it go for another 3 or 4. At this point it's at least 140 degrees in one spot. I didn't check different spots.
I want to go to bed. I know that'll make the meat go a bit long, but I don't know, that's what I decided. I wrapped one in foil and not the other, because I wanted to see what the difference would be.
My smoker has this problem where pellets will fall and create a little sinkhole and stop falling, even though there are plenty in there. I piled them up good over the sinkhole spot. I went to bed. It happened anyway.
When I woke up the smoker was off and the meat was fully cold. I have no idea whether it turned itself off one hour after I went to bed or six hours after I went to bed. I do know that I refrigerated it, cut into it later, and it was firm, a bit pink, a bit moist in the very middle, but certainly not sloppy. It looked like a pork chop, maybe one on the rare side, not like pulled pork, so that gives some idea of how long it cooked.
At first I was like well hell I gotta throw this out. Then I thought, it's winter in Indiana. The outdoors at night is the temperature of a refrigerator. Maybe not? Is it a bit like I cooked it to some temperature and then refrigerated it? Does it depend on whether it ever got up to 160?
My first pork shoulder mistake was similar to this one, but a lot less iffy. I found the meat warm that time and I zapped it in my Instant Pot with some liquid. I froze it and ate it and never got sick.
Can I do the same here? Or did I poison it?
I found this thread, and Chef Jimmy J's response, but obviously a few things are different (pork instead of brisket, higher starting temp, and I think my meat might have been BRT?): https://www.smokingmeatforums.com/threads/smoker-turned-off-while-smoking-a-brisket.249688
chef jimmyj
