Refrigerator wasn't shut all the way

[Wayne Ficklin]

I've got a refrigerator in the garage that I sometimes put my meat in to thaw or just to keep it out of the one in the kitchen. When I went to get the meat (Spare Ribs) out of it this morning to prep for smoking this afternoon, the door wasn't sealed shut. It didn't feel exactly cold in there, but the meat still was. (I bought the ribs yesterday after work and they were partially thawed.) I went ahead and prepped 'em, and put 'em on the smoker. After going to lunch, I come back and the wireless thermometer I put in the fridge before leaving is telling me its 55ºF (after about an hour of being sealed up). The meat was still cool when I was prepping it, and didn't look or smell bad.

What say ye?

 

[Dustin Dorsey]

I'd eat em. I'm not saying that she the right call. It's just what I'd do.

 

[Bob Sample]

No worries. Your cooking them way past the safe zone anyways.

 

[Clint]

another vote for safe

 

[Phil Perrin]

I think you're okay. But maybe you should ship them here just to be sure. I'll take that chance for you.

 

[timothy]

Yea, just a day, I would roll with it.
Think about the open air coolers in the SM. Defiantly not energy efficient and on a hot day, the top packages can get close to 55.
Cold air sinks.

Tim

 

[Chris H.]

I agree. Happened to me once with a pork butt. We went right ahead and had no issues.

 

[K Kruger]

Bob is correct. Cooking to the point of pasteurization - in the case of ribs, beyond - is what makes them safe. In situations line this, it is usually the already cooked food in the fridge that one has to be careful with, not the uncooked food, as cooking will make the uncooked safe.

 

[Bob H.]

How did those ribs turn out Wayne?

 

[Steve Porter]

The temperature of the meat itself would be important to me, and then estimating how long it was at that temp. I work at a refrigerated food distributor and the Federal Guidelines we use indicate if kept under 41 degrees it's ok, over 41 for more than 4 hours it's not ok. So to be absolutely safe if the meat was 41 degrees or less when you found it, it is ok. It would be hard to estimate how long it was over temp if it was over temp when you found it. We use temperature recorders to determine that at work(used in the trailers during delivery and return) since even insulated and refrigerated trailers can get above temp on hot days and if the doors are open a lot.

 

[Dwain Pannell]

Bob is correct. Cooking to the point of pasteurization - in the case of ribs, beyond - is what makes them safe. In situations line this, it is usually the already cooked food in the fridge that one has to be careful with, not the uncooked food, as cooking will make the uncooked safe.

I go with Kevin on matters like this. Here's a food safety compilation: http://tvwbb.com/showthread.php?39803-The-Kruger-Safety-Compilation-v0-1

 

[James Harvey]

Another vote for OK but I guess I'm late so you'd know by now . Early this year I came back from the cottage and my freezer had popped open (old garage fridge, freezer too full). Would have been fine other than the hundreds of $$$ worth of chicken, turkey, pork and lobster tails I just bought. Everything was outside temp so everything got tossed.