pork danger temp


 
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Rick Moore

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Hello all-

A friend is doing a 2-stage cook - 10 hours or so at one place - double foil and into a preheated cooler - then about 3 hours until he arrives at the location of the second part of the cook. With 10 hours in the first stage, I expect he will be in the 160 range as far as internal meat temp. From what I can find in searching, the danger zone is 40-140. Therefore, is it safe to assume that if the meat temp stays above 140 during his drive to the second place, everything will be safe to eat? Also, don't you think that it is 160, he double wraps in foil and puts in a preheated cooler, that he wouldn't lose 20 degrees of temp in 3 hours?

Thanks in advance!
 
I would also do the hot brick thing. Have him go to Lowes or Home Depot and get some fireplace brick* to put in the bottom of the cooler. Heat bricks either in oven or on grill, place in cooler on towel. Cover with towel, put foil wrapped meat in, cover with towel. Have him also keep therm probe in meat the whole time so that temps can be checked. Meat should keep cooking during part of his trip using this method.

*fireplace brick will hold the heat longer, and dole it out slower.
 
Thanks Chris - I now remember the brick trick from a post a while back - glad you specified fireplace brick though - probably would have gone with regular - and I think the fireplace style would work better. What temp would you take the bricks to before you would start having concerns with softening the cooler plastic? Don't want any melted plastic off flavors that is for sure. I was thinking 250 or so...

Thanks again!
 
250* should be fine. Especially with a layer of towels (or two) between the bricks and the cooler. The PC (plastic) that a cooler is made of shouldn't START deforming until 270* with a 264 psi load on it. So don't get it hot and fall on it.
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Whats a Fireplace Brick?

Must be a northern thing!!

Like a Blanket for your WSM!!!

---Without Hurricanes, Florida is Great!
 
Fireplace bricks are specially made brick that withstands much higher temps than standard brick - it is used in the construction of fireplaces to keep the framing and other parts of the house from catching on fire! That's pretty important! Guess it must be a Florida thing to have not heard of this...not needing fireplaces down there...
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Boil water and preheat the cooler before you put the pork in. It will maintain the temp for you fine.
Jim
 
Rick,
Why don't you just start the cook earlier so that you can finish it before you leave. Then wrap in towels and place in cooler and it should be perfect when you get to your destination. If you are going to add a heated object to the cooler, a cobblestone or belgium block will work much better than a firebrick.
 
You may want to check if I'm right. I beleive that you'd have to have the meat in the bad zome for more than 4 hours before you need to start worrying about it. So I'd think 3 hours will give you enough time to get it cooking again.
 
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