Big Problems here! How long can cooked meat sit at room temp before its bad?

[rbranstner]

Ok I have a major issue going on this morning. Yesterday I smoked a great Prime Rib for Xmas and it turned out great. As the in-laws were heading home we cut the remaining roast in 1/3's so everyone could take some a nice chunk of meat for later. Well the meat was still hot so I wrapped min in foil and set it on the counter to cool. Well I come out this morning and what do I see on the counter???? NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO the prime rib as been sitting out all night. I know the safe and probably correct answer is to throw it so you don't get sick but hey this is some great prime rib. I wouldn't dare serve it to anyone else but do you think I dare eat it? At this point I am SO pissed that I don't even care if I get sick I just want to eat some more for lunch. Ok set me straight here should I just face the ugly truth and throw it or do I dare eat some. It was cooked to 140 and it was hot going into the triple wrapped foil so it would have stayed above the danger zone for a while but still we are talking almost 12 hours of sitting out on the counter. I know what the answer is but I just wanted to see what the rest of you guys would do in this situation?

[Richtee]

Sigh.

I'd heat it up and eat it, but would not serve it to anyone. And I din't just say that.

[Jimh]

Sigh.

I'd heat it up and eat it, but would not serve it to anyone. And I din't just say that.

I,m with Rich, but I dint just say it either

[blues_n_cues]

Sigh.

I'd heat it up and eat it, but would not serve it to anyone. And I din't just say that.

and i didn't concur.

[Smokin' Dick]

"Well, I guess I'm with you fellers. I'm voting for Yours Truly too!"

[curious aardvark]

hmm tricky one.
If that was raw meat then I'd bin it, no question.

But with a cooked product it's slightly different, and with a solid cut of meat more so. As the internal bacteria will have mostly been killed off by the cooking and it will require some time for them to build back up. Although 140 is a bit low, had you taken it to 160 I'd have no reservations in saying it was perfectly safe.

Your biggest mistake was wrapping it in foil, without the foil it would have cooled down quite quickly and definitely been perfectly safe.

also how warm is your kitchen at night ? Our central heating goes off at 2300 and the house cools down quite rapidly at the moment (given the average outside temp this month has been -5 c)

If you house is heated throughout the night, that will add to the potential for bacterial growth.

I guess I'm with everybody else. I'd be 90% sure it was perfectly safe. But that 10% margin is too much for me to give it to anyone else.

[erain]

and i didn't concur.

ditto, we preach food saftey and its parameters... does it make a difference because its an expensive cut of meat? i dont believe so...

[Whisky Fish]

I'm with everyone else. I'd bring it back to temp, make Au Ju and be eating a french dip and not worry. My first resturant gig, the prime stayed out all night and the morning crew sliced it up for Dips. Not legal but that's what they did 25 years ago.

[doctor phreak]

me personally i would go for it...just reheated with some au jus and go for it...

[Richtee]

Your biggest mistake was wrapping it in foil, without the foil it would have cooled down quite quickly and definitely been perfectly safe.

also how warm is your kitchen at night ?

Hmm perfectly safe? Unless his kitchen is below 40°F- I'll argue

[BBQ Engineer]

If that would have been me, two possible scenarios may occur..

Scenario one...Mrs. Engineer uncharacteristically gets out of bed before me and finds it. I wonder who stole my prime rib all day long, because it would have been gone so fast I would have thought someone broke in and ripped me off. (and I wonder all day long if Mrs. Engineer is OK...having gotten up before I had to beg her to get out of bed).

Scenario 2 - I would heat it up, and be the only one that touches it. If I got sick, then I pay the price, but only me. If not, I had a good lunch. If anyone else is going to eat it, then there isn't even a question...it's gone.

[curious aardvark]

lots of factors.

But cooked meat is not going to contain enough live bacteria to spoil overnight in a relatively cool room.
If unwrapped in a cool kitchen, the fat will resolidify quite quick, which will coat much of the meat isolating the bacteria into resource limited pockets.

Our kitchen drops to around 11c - 52f at night. and it drops fast having one wall that is essentially an outside wall with abig window in it.
Plenty cool enough to keep bacterial reproduction fairly low.

[Richtee]

Soo..Hmm a vinegar wash...wine, of course and some bourdeaux au-jus... and some hard crust fre.. fren... err... some kind of good bread?

[erain]

from the source...
http://www.fsis.usda.gov/Help/FAQs_H...on/index.asp#6



"Is it safe to eat leftover food that was left out on the counter to cool at dinnertime, then forgotten until morning? Will additional cooking kill the bacteria that may have grown?
No. Bacteria exist everywhere in nature. They are in the soil, air, water, and the foods we eat. When they have nutrients (food), moisture, and favorable temperatures, they grow rapidly, increasing in numbers to the point where some types of bacteria can cause illness. Bacteria grow most rapidly in the range of temperatures between 40 and 140 °F, some doubling in number in as little as 20 minutes. Some types will produce toxins that are not destroyed by cooking.

Pathogenic bacteria do not generally affect the taste, smell, or appearance of a food. In other words, one cannot tell that a food has been mishandled or is dangerous to eat. For example, food that has been left too long on the counter may be dangerous to eat, but could smell and look fine. If a food has been left in the "Danger Zone" – between 40 and 140 °F – for more than 2 hours, discard it, even though it may look and smell good. Never taste a food to see if it is spoiled."

[Whisky Fish]

from the source...
http://www.fsis.usda.gov/Help/FAQs_H...on/index.asp#6



"Is it safe to eat leftover food that was left out on the counter to cool at dinnertime, then forgotten until morning? Will additional cooking kill the bacteria that may have grown?
No. Bacteria exist everywhere in nature. They are in the soil, air, water, and the foods we eat. When they have nutrients (food), moisture, and favorable temperatures, they grow rapidly, increasing in numbers to the point where some types of bacteria can cause illness. Bacteria grow most rapidly in the range of temperatures between 40 and 140 °F, some doubling in number in as little as 20 minutes. Some types will produce toxins that are not destroyed by cooking.

Pathogenic bacteria do not generally affect the taste, smell, or appearance of a food. In other words, one cannot tell that a food has been mishandled or is dangerous to eat. For example, food that has been left too long on the counter may be dangerous to eat, but could smell and look fine. If a food has been left in the "Danger Zone" – between 40 and 140 °F – for more than 2 hours, discard it, even though it may look and smell good. Never taste a food to see if it is spoiled."

Hate to admit it, , ,but he's right, , ,still, , ,ok, ok, ok he's right.