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Brine water temp safety....

JDoubleH
JDoubleH Posts: 112
in EggHead Forum
My water in cooler is about 42 for my turkey brine. Is there any danger here? Anybody worried about brine temps being a food safety issue? 

Thanks! 
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Comments

  • nolaegghead
    nolaegghead Posts: 42,109
    Throw some ice in there in ziploc bags.  You'll be fine.
    ______________________________________________
    I love lamp..
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  • Toxarch
    Toxarch Posts: 1,900
    Ice it down like nola said. Keep it below 40 degrees.
    Aledo, Texas
    Large BGE
    KJ Jr.

    Exodus 12:9 KJV
    Eat not of it raw, nor sodden at all with water, but roast with fire; his head with his legs, and with the purtenance thereof.

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  • RRog17
    RRog17 Posts: 572
    Hail State!
    Canton, GA
    LBGE, Joe Jr., 28” Blackstone
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  • Darby_Crenshaw
    Darby_Crenshaw Posts: 2,657
    edited November 2015
    As a rule if you can keep it below 40, that's great

    dirty little secret tho:  if your brine is truly a brine (enough salt), you can do it at room temp (the proverbial "cool dark place"). 

    Prior to widespread refrigeration, lotta French farmhouses (especially) would have a large crock of brine with herbs (no nitrites, just salt, herbs, some sugar maybe) in which they would submerge joints of pork, loin roasts, etc.

    they'd keep a board on it to keep things submerged. Maybe boil the board and brine every month or so to make sure there was no bacterial fermentation

    these mild hams and bacons were the stuff that they ate through the winter

    the salt concentration is enough to keep things safe. 

    This isn't more stike-the-cheap-yankee talk. It's traditional storage methods

    now, we have the luxury of refrigeration. So use it. Sure. I do. 

    But don't panic about temps or whether it spen an hour at 45 degrees. It could spend a month in a proper brine

    brines are akin to pickles (curing)

    if your brine is weak though, it's probably fridge time. Ice in the water, etc
    [social media disclaimer: irony and sarcasm may be used in some or all of user's posts; emoticon usage is intended to indicate moderately jocular social interaction; the comments toward users, their usernames, and the real people (living or dead) that they refer to are not intended to be adversarial in nature; those replying to this user are entering into a tacit agreement that they are real-life or social-media acquaintances and/or have agreed to or tacitly agreed to perpetrate occasional good-natured ribbing between and among themselves and others]

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  • jtcBoynton
    jtcBoynton Posts: 2,814
    And what % salt concentration is it "truly a brine"? What is a "weak brine"?  I thought that the % concentrations we use for flavoring are much weaker than preservation brines.  I would like to know what is % needed for preservation.
    Southeast Florida - LBGE
    In cooking, often we implement steps for which we have no explanations other than ‘that’s what everybody else does’ or ‘that’s what I have been told.’  Dare to think for yourself.
     
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  • gdenby
    gdenby Posts: 6,239
    Also, recall that pathogen growth rate in the 40 degree range is still quite slow. Assuming the food was only slightly infected, it would be 3 -4 days before it was problematic, and that would be without the added salt and whatever preservative offered by herbs and spices.
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  • DaveRichardson
    DaveRichardson Posts: 2,324
    Ice, Ice, baby!!!!  40 deg is the max!

    LBGE since 2014

    Griffin, GA 

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  • Darby_Crenshaw
    Darby_Crenshaw Posts: 2,657
    @jtcBoynton

    if a people want to know, they'll find out.  if they want to be told, they won't remember the logic behind it anyway, and that causes more problems than it fixes

    the only thing that works worse (on the internet) than a short answer, is a long explanation

    [social media disclaimer: irony and sarcasm may be used in some or all of user's posts; emoticon usage is intended to indicate moderately jocular social interaction; the comments toward users, their usernames, and the real people (living or dead) that they refer to are not intended to be adversarial in nature; those replying to this user are entering into a tacit agreement that they are real-life or social-media acquaintances and/or have agreed to or tacitly agreed to perpetrate occasional good-natured ribbing between and among themselves and others]

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  • JDoubleH
    JDoubleH Posts: 112
    Thanks everyone. I'm going to roll with it, and make sure everything is cooked properly, even if it means letting it go a bit longer. 

    Thanks for all the great info!
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  • nolaegghead
    nolaegghead Posts: 42,109
    Don't compromise by cooking longer!  It won't be any safer, just less tasty. You will be fine.
    ______________________________________________
    I love lamp..
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  • fishlessman
    fishlessman Posts: 34,589
    JDoubleH said:
    Thanks everyone. I'm going to roll with it, and make sure everything is cooked properly, even if it means letting it go a bit longer. 

    Thanks for all the great info!
    cook it to the proper temp, thats the SAFE temp, you can NOT cook it safer
    fukahwee maine

    you can lead a fish to water but you can not make him drink it
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  • Canugghead
    Canugghead Posts: 13,710
    It's probably too late or not practical now, I don't brine often but when I do I try to substitute some water with ice cubes.
    canuckland
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  • JDoubleH
    JDoubleH Posts: 112
    Thanks again everyone and appreciate the feedback on not over cooking since it won't change safety. The bird still had a little ice in places when I put in cooler last night and after reading some stuff online, I got up and added half a bag of ice. Water temp was 38 all day today.  Bird's back in the fridge drying now. 

    Thanks again and and happy thanksgiving! 
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