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Butt Help

JBZ
JBZ Posts: 4
edited November -0001 in EggHead Forum
put 2 8lb butts on last night around 5:30. temp was right around 300. had to go to a party and so just closed the daisy to what i thought would get the temp to around 230. got home a few hours later and temp dropped to 150. got temp back up to 210 and went to bed. woke up at 3 and temp again was 170. got temp back up to 230 and has held steady ever since.

Question: Are the butts still good? Don't want to get anybody sick of course.
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Comments

  • Memphistide
    Memphistide Posts: 207
    as long as you get that meat to 190-200, you should be fine.
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  • AZRP
    AZRP Posts: 10,116
    You didn't drop below 140 so you should be fine. -RP
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  • BrisketBob
    BrisketBob Posts: 145
    What's the rule? If it drops below 140 for 4 hours you toss it?
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  • Memphistide
    Memphistide Posts: 207
    if that is the case, I may have a problem. I had some on last night and let the egg go out...woke up and meat was only 116 deg.....I had to restart teh fire and cooked meat 5 more hours to get it to 195 internal temp....am I ok?
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  • AZRP
    AZRP Posts: 10,116
    No more than 4 hours between 40 and 140 is the general rule. -RP
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  • AZRP
    AZRP Posts: 10,116
    I'm guessing if it only took 5 hours to reach 195 you are probably fine. -RP
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  • Memphistide
    Memphistide Posts: 207
    even if it is questionable, wouldn't the 195 temp kill anything that started
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  • Humphrey Chimpden Earwicker
    Humphrey Chimpden Earwicker Posts: 3,743
    bacteria aren't the issue. it's the toxins they produce.
    meaning, you can't make bad meat better by cooking it. you might kill the bacteria that multiplied, but the toxin is still there.

    still, the 40-140 rule is oversimplified. but it is a fail-safe approach if you aren't familiar with all the variables...
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  • Memphistide
    Memphistide Posts: 207
    Thank you. So give me your opinion. 11:30, egg was at 230....5:30 egg was at 120ish and meat was 116....I added fire and egg has been at 230 since and meat is cooked to 195...is it good?
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  • Humphrey Chimpden Earwicker
    Humphrey Chimpden Earwicker Posts: 3,743
    i don't know if it's "good", but i would probably eat it.

    most of the time the dangerous thing is your imagination. i mean, there's salt in the rub, that inhibits bacterial growth and kills bacteria. the bacteria you are worried about are those from the gastro-intestinal tract, which only gets on the surface of the meat. there's no e. coli IN the meat (muscle). so, interior temp isn't what's important. as an example, you can rub salt on a fresh ham, and then hang it at room temp for a year (to make prosciutto). so obviously interior temp isn't the concern.

    always rinse the meat well, and pat dry, before coating with rub. if you are one of the folks that uses mustard in the rub too, well, it's highly acidic too.

    but your imagination, and our inherent tendency to suspect things we don't fully understand, makes some of us more than a little nervous about this stuff.

    i might be overly prudent and decide not to serve it to great grandma or the two-year olds...

    but i'd be enjoying pulled pork myself.
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  • Memphistide
    Memphistide Posts: 207
    awesome reply....thanks a TON for the info...have a good weekend and I dont post on here any more, you know what happened :)
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