Oops...help

Onegrecook · October 2012

I pulled another big piece of pork belly out of the freezer last night to start the bacon process. I was so tired last night that I forgot about it on the counter. It's probably not safe...right? It will be cured, smoked to 150* and then cooked in a fry pan before eaten. Anybody know if I should just throw it out or not?

hondabbq · October 2012

Was it completely at room temperature? I have thawed chicken breasts on the counter all day and even overnight and they were fine. If they get warm I would not eat them.

The Cen-Tex Smoker · October 2012

It is fine. The "4 hour rule" is for commercial businesses. I would eat it after curing and smoking without hesitation.

Fred19Flintstone · October 2012

That's interesting. I would've thrown it away and chalked it up to the cost of carelessness. Especially if its chicken. My first wife poisoned me with chicken and I was sick for a week. To this day I can't stand the combination of chicken & italian dressing.

Onegrecook · October 2012

Hmm...I appreciate the replies but so far....it's two to one.

Onegrecook · October 2012

I tend to agree with Cent-Tex just because it will be cured, smoked, and then fried. Not sure if anything could live through that. The belly smells fine.

The Cen-Tex Smoker · October 2012

Fred19Flintstone said:
That's interesting. I would've thrown it away and chalked it up to the cost of carelessness. Especially if its chicken. My first wife poisoned me with chicken and I was sick for a week. To this day I can't stand the combination of chicken & italian dressing.

Nah. If it smells ok, it's normally ok unless it has been canned or vacuum packed. That's where botulism comes in to play and its odorless.

Since this will be cured, smoked, then cooked throughout again, I wouldn't even give it a second thought. They make those short window rules for restaurants with kids, people who may have weak immune systems, and elderly people etc in mind. Plus, if you make 300 people sick, it's a lot different than making yourself sick. It's kind of like the speed limits on a windy road. They are made to be safe for 18 wheelers, not sports cars. You can safely navigate that road in a car at much higher speeds but they have to make it safe for everyone- if that makes sense at all.

Optiontrader · October 2012

The Cen-Tex Smoker said:

That's interesting. I would've thrown it away and chalked it up to the cost of carelessness. Especially if its chicken. My first wife poisoned me with chicken and I was sick for a week. To this day I can't stand the combination of chicken & italian dressing.

Nah. If it smells ok, it's normally ok unless it has been canned or vacuum packed. That's where botulism comes in to play and its odorless. Since this will be cured, smoked, then cooked throughout again, I wouldn't even give it a second thought. They make those short window rules for restaurants with kids, people who may have weak immune systems, and elderly people etc in mind. Plus, if you make 300 people sick, it's a lot different than making yourself sick. It's kind of like the speed limits on a windy road. They are made to be safe for 18 wheelers, not sports cars. You can safely navigate that road in a car at much higher speeds but they have to make it safe for everyone- if that makes sense at all.

+1 I wouldn't think twice about it.

McNuttly · October 2012

Fred19Flintstone said:

That's interesting. I would've thrown it away and chalked it up to the cost of carelessness. Especially if its chicken. My first wife poisoned me with chicken and I was sick for a week. To this day I can't stand the combination of chicken & italian dressing.

first wife huh, you sure it was the chicken?

Fred19Flintstone · October 2012

She marinaded them in italian dressing and then grilled them on our hibatchi. It didn't seem bad, but a week on the toilet indicates otherwise. In those days, she worked nights and she re-heated supper when she got home so I was alone in my misery. I think she got three or four cookbooks that Christmas.

Optiontrader · October 2012

Fred19Flintstone said:

She marinaded them in italian dressing and then grilled them on our hibatchi.

I would be more inclined to think it was the dressing. I had a similar experience with a salad that had stayed out all day.

double · October 2012

Growing up my mother defrosted meat out on the counter overnight all the time. I never remember getting sick. Don't know what changed that it has to be defrosted in the fridge even though that's how I tend to do it. I would use it.

The Cen-Tex Smoker · October 2012

I saw an episode of Yukon Men last night where these 2 dudes shot a caribou and had to stay in the field all night because it got dark. They dressed it and left it out in the rain on some muddy rocks over night, then trudged down a muddy hill to a canoe where it took them a few hours to get home. They then hung it in an open smoke house with a bunch or rotting salmon for a week or so (not a thermometer is sight). It appears people have been doing this for hundreds of years with pretty good results. The only thing they were worried about was bears.

Onegrecook · October 2012

I'm going to give it a shot. My mom told me the same thing. That she use to leave meat out overnight...I'm still here. The belly is in the cure. We'll see how it turns out. Thanks for your help everyone.

esdd · October 2012

I did the same thing with five slabs of bb ribs Thursday night, threw then in the fridg Friday am and all is good.

chrisnjenn · October 2012

I would never risk it with my loved ones, but to each their own. I'm sure it will be fine, just wouldn't be worth to take a chance with my wife and kids. Meat is too cheap to do that IMO.

The Cen-Tex Smoker · October 2012

I would never risk it with mine either. The point is, there is no risk in leaving meat on your counter overnight and eating it the next day as long as you cook it properly. I don't know where people got that idea, but it's just not factually accurate.

travisstrick · October 2012

The human body is pretty good at knowing what is good to eat. I'd say use your senses and go with what they tell you

Village Idiot · October 2012

When in doubt, I always give some to the neighbor's cat.

The Cen-Tex Smoker · October 2012

Village Idiot said:

When in doubt, I always give some to the neighbor's cat.

Or barking dog. hard to bark when you are puking :))

nolaegghead · October 2012

Our leftovers and "bad" meat go to the "meat-umbrella project": over the fence into the vegetarian neighbors' yard with the 6 grateful misfit dogs. (sometimes the food ends up on their lawn umbrella, hence the name). Can't see where it lands because of the 8' confederate jasmine covered lattice.

BigWader · October 2012

Optiontrader said:

Fred19Flintstone said:

She marinaded them in italian dressing and then grilled them on our hibatchi.

I would be more inclined to think it was the dressing. I had a similar experience with a salad that had stayed out all day.

that tends to be a big misconception about mayonnaise and dressings. Most salad dressing has a pH well under 4.0 (especially Italian since the vinegar is concentrated in the water phase) and a salt content where not much will live. Mayonnaise has a low pH and low water activity due to the high percentage of oil (near 80%) and is made with pasteurized eggs. Most often salad that makes people sick is cross contamination and double dippers mixing the wrong stuff in there.

The exception for dressing spoilage is dairy based dressings if they get contaminated with a lactobacillus which loves low pH and produces gas. The good news is that type of bacteria would not cause much reaction once it hits your stomach acid.

In this case I would believe it was the chicken - if a whole chicken maybe she didn't rinse out the cavity and then also cook to proper temp.

*sorry - food industry (specifically salad dressing experience) here*

The Cen-Tex Smoker · October 2012

BigWader said:

Optiontrader said:

Fred19Flintstone said:

She marinaded them in italian dressing and then grilled them on our hibatchi.

I would be more inclined to think it was the dressing. I had a similar experience with a salad that had stayed out all day.

that tends to be a big misconception about mayonnaise and dressings. Most salad dressing has a pH well under 4.0 (especially Italian since the vinegar is concentrated in the water phase) and a salt content where not much will live. Mayonnaise has a low pH and low water activity due to the high percentage of oil (near 80%) and is made with pasteurized eggs. Most often salad that makes people sick is cross contamination and double dippers mixing the wrong stuff in there.
The exception for dressing spoilage is dairy based dressings if they get contaminated with a lactobacillus which loves low pH and produces gas. The good news is that type of bacteria would not cause much reaction once it hits your stomach acid.
In this case I would believe it was the chicken - if a whole chicken maybe she didn't rinse out the cavity and then also cook to proper temp.
*sorry - food industry (specifically salad dressing experience) here*

great inight. Thanks.

Skiddymarker · October 2012

IMHO - If it was covered or still wrapped it is good to go, if it was foodsavered, it is great. If it was just lying on the counter in the open, it is still OK, but not the best. Cure it quick.

BizGreenEgg · October 2012

Nearly all pathogenic areobic bacteria are easily killed at temperatures of ~160f. The really dangerous spore formers will only be vegetative in an anaerobic environment. That said, some toxins they produce are more heat stable, but those are generally produced by molds, which would be visable. Basically, if it didn't look bad and didn't have a sour odor, it's probably fine and normal curing, smoking, and cooking will preserve it. If not, I'd say 7 out of 10 fermentation process make something awesome.

Onegrecook · October 2012

I took the whole belly (which was frozen), thawed it a few weeks ago, just enough to cut the belly into thirds, then wrapped them in Saran and tinfoil and put them back in the freezer. When I got it out last night, I left it wrapped to thaw. I'm pretty sure it will be ok...especially after reading your responses.

Thanks again.

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