ruined ribs??


 
R

Rick Moore

TVWBB Super Fan
So in my haste to get off to work today, but have everything for tomorrow ready, I took 2 cryovac packed babyback slabs out of my freezer (about 7:00 am)...they ended up in the garage on top of the freezer for the day. Outside temps got to about 55 today and when I got home at 5:00, they were cool, but completely thawed. I presume this means ruined...any thoughts from the food safety gurus out there?
 
The issue would be one of quality not of safety since they are as yet uncooked. Though there might well have been growth of pathogens, those likely to grow will be killed during cooking.
 
Thats always a tough call. If I were to put $ on it, Id say as the previous post, they be alright after the cook. BUT....safety should always come first...just in case kind of deal..Id probably toss em and have a drink
 
Ten hours going from frozen solid to 55 degrees F. I'd use them, but not feed them to any folks that were very young, very old or otherwise specifically at risk. For me and my wife, no problem.

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I agree that the young, old and immune compromised are more at risk--but I don't see a risk here. It would be different were they already cooked. But raw and not yet cooked? Which pathogen would pose a risk? I don't see one.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by K Kruger:
I agree that the young, old and immune compromised are more at risk--but I don't see a risk here. It would be different were they already cooked. But raw and not yet cooked? Which pathogen would pose a risk? I don't see one. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Plus, wouldn't the fact that they were in cryovac help a lot?

Plus, Plus, I'd guess that they weren't actually over 40º for very long. Considering that some people leave their ribs (meat in general) out to come to room temp before they put them on the cooker, I wouldn't think these would be bad at all.
 
Phew - This makes me feel better. I have 6 total people and these are just supposed to be a little snack - I had a third rack that I put in the fridge tonight to thaw. That is way too many for 6 folks so I'll try and put the ones out first that didn't spend so long out of the freezer. And if there is any "off smell" when I open the cryovac, I'll toss them.

At least I know that at worst I'm sacrificing the quality of the rib's flavor and not anyone's health - we are all 30-somethings with no known health problems so we are not in the "danger" zone mentioned previously.

Thanks for the reassurance! And I promise not to try and hold anyone accountable!!!
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Happy Thanksgiving to all!!
 
Don't know if this matters or not, but I am planning a dry rub (memphis) style for about 3.5 hours, foiled with an apple juice / vinegar braise for about 30 45 min and another hour of unwrapped ribs getting blazed on the coals! We'll go dipping sauce from there. Seems like this is going to work ok...
 
It actual does matter as bacteria kill is more efficient in a moister environment. The foiled phase will assure that.

Jerry-- The cryo doesn't much matter. it would have protected the meat from acquiring new bugs--say, deposited by a passing fly. But most spoilage organisms and pathogens are already present. The issue is what pathogens are likely, what are their growth curves in the likely ambient conditions, how likely (or possible) is toxin/spore formation (for those that form toxins/spores), and how heat labile the likely pathogens/toxins are. I'm not seeing issues here given the variables noted in the OP.
 
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