Is my butt safe?


 
D

Dusty R

New member
9.5lb pork butt, not injected or tenderized, just mustard+rub. Went on at 6pm, was at 225 at 7pm. Get kids to bed then check again at 10pm, and cooker lost its heat...down to maybe 125. Re-fired (lump charcoal), back up 250. Check again at 3am, and its down again at 115. Used kingsford this time to get it back up to 250. Has been at 225 all morning. First time I checked IT of butt was at 3am, was approx 150. Now up to 165 internal.

This is my best guess on the cook/temp schedule:
6pm: 225
7pm: 225
8pm: 200
9pm: 150
10pm: 125 (refire - 250)
11pm: 240
12am:225
1am:200
2am: 130
3am: 115 (refire and check internal temp of butt - 150deg)
4am: 250
5am: 225
6am: 225
7am: 225


Any cause for concern about bacteria with the cooker losing temp a few times? I've read about the '140 in 4hrs' rule, but also that it may not apply to a pork butt that hasn't been injected (solid chunk of meat -Duroc butt). Its an absolute guess, but I'd say mine took approx 6hrs to reach 140.

Thanks!
 
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I guess it depends if you want to take a chance it or not. Personally, I'm thinking it probably wasn't low enough for a long enough period for it to become unsafe, but there is no way of knowing that for sure. I was at a guests house a month or so ago and they tried to smoke a butt for the first time and it didn't turn out at all. It's a long story, but on that one I thought the temperature was too low for too long and into the garbage can it went.

Kingsford blue gets a bad rap sometimes, but for overnight cooks it has always provided predictable performance for me. It burns longer and is fairly easy to dial in on a narrow temperature range with a little practice. I fire my WSM exclusively with that. I'm curious to see what others say about this.
 
I think you will be fine...
It's your decision...go by what your gut tells you...
That happened to me a couple of times where my fired died and had no idea when it happened.
 
I seriously doubt your internal temp hit 140 in 4 hours, so I would be reluctant to take a chance, sorry.
 
Kruger, who I rarely see posting anymore, has a safety compilation that you may be interested in. He addresses this issue in it. Based on reading his info in some of the "help" threads, I think you're OK.
 
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JimmyE said:
I seriously doubt your internal temp hit 140 in 4 hours, so I would be reluctant to take a chance, sorry.
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"40* to 140* in 4 hours" is for the outside surface of the whole muscle where the bacteria live. Internal temp of a full muscle not injected or otherwise probed does not come into play. Some folks don't even push a thermometer in it for several hours because they don't want to push pathogens deep into the meat. Others clean the probe with anti bacterial wipes before inserting the probe. Still others wipe it off with a paper towel, maybe they wash it, stab into the thickest part of the meat and enjoy great BBQ for many years without any ill effect.
 
Thanks Dwain. I was under the impression the internal temp of the meat must hit 140 within 4 hours, that's how I interpreted it anyway. When Dusty mentioned he had over a 9 pound piece of meat, and then listed the temps he guessed his smoker was at during the night, it was my belief he may have a problem. I would rather toss a pork butt than to spend the day riding the porcelain bus. Appreciate your post.
 
The butt is fine. Eat away. 140 in 4 hrs is rediculous, when I do whole shoulders l&s it can take much longer than 4 hrs to get them to 140. Your main concern is cooking to safe temperatures and proper handling before and after.
 
Thanks everyone, funny enough but I actually lost sleep thinking about having to throw away a $30 chunk of premium pork, lol. I just ate some, and it was awesome. So hopefully I'll live, haha. Not to be paranoid, but I told my wife that I'd be the tester and if I'm ok, we can have PPsandwiches tomorrow. :)

I ended up getting tired of dealing with the grill this morning (kept losing heat) at around 170deg pork temp I put in in the oven at 225 and cooked until 180-190.

Is there a trick to using hardwood lump charcoal for L&S - pack it in tighter, lightor??? I've started using it for shorter cooks (and burgers) but it turned out to really screw me up on this overnight smoke. Kingsford would have probably performed much, much better.
 
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I'm glad it turned out for you, didn't mean to scare anyone, just didn't want to see someone get ill.
 
Dusty R said:
I put in in the oven at 225 and cooked until 180-190.
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After that amount of time, the meat has taken on all the smoke it's going to take. Absolutely nothing wrong with finishing in the oven compared to firing up additional charcoal. Personal opinion - 225 is too low of a temp. Especially when you're trying to get an internal temp of 190-200 degree. I much prefer to be in the 260-280 range for pork. Even Harry Soo says pork renders the fat better at 275 and that's what he does for competitions.

Did you go with the probe test to see if it's done? As in, if a probe (I use a skewer) goes into the meat with no resistance, then it's done.

Is there a trick to using hardwood lump charcoal for L&S
Click to expand...
Yeah, don't. lol Lump is great and I use it all the time, but only once for an overnight L&S cook. Kingsford works quite well, but you have to be aware of the ash build up issue. I find Stubbs to be the best of both worlds, but at a higher cost.
 
Yeah, I should have gone a little hotter in the oven. If it reached internal temp of 185-190 I should be OK thought?

Whats the best way to reheat? Microwave indivindual servings or heat up in oven? If oven, how hot? Thanks
 
If it reached internal temp of 185-190 I should be OK thought? If you're going to pull it, if it's probe tender its done. If not, it's not.

Whats the best way to reheat? Microwave indivindual servings or heat up in oven? If oven, how hot? Chris says, "Pork butt should be pulled while warm. My preference is to pull the pork after cooking, mix in some leftover rub for added flavor, and place in a baking dish or disposable foil pan. Cover tightly with aluminum foil and refrigerate. To reheat, spritz with apple juice or broth, or stir in a little barbecue sauce, cover tightly with foil, and heat in a 200-250°F oven or smoker, stirring occasionally, until warmed to your liking."

He goes on to say, "If you prefer to keep the cooked pork butt whole and unpulled, wrap it in foil and refrigerate. Heat in the oven or smoker at 300°F until warmed to your liking, then pull, add leftover rub, and serve."
 
I agree with the "Pull the butt while it's still warm" comment

Personally, I stick leftovers in 1) storage containers if they're going into the fridge 2) zip lock bags if it's going in the freezer
To reheat, I just take a serving sized portion out and place on a plate or bowl and microwave it. Works better than I would have thought.

Not saying any on my ways are right or wrong, just what works for me.
 
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