I screwed up my brisket rest -- toss or make do?

[mojo_wire]

Smoked a 9 lb brisket last night, 13 hours to 195 degrees.

Wrapped in butcher paper the last 2-3 hours, the brisket came off at 9pm, was wrapped in foil and put into a towel/newspaper lined cooler. I meant to rest it for 1-2 hours but got distracted and forgot about it until 8 am.

The internal temperature was down to 110.

So it spent several hours in the "danger zone." Is it still safe to heat back above 165 and eat?

I'm thinking of putting it in a 225 oven and bringing it back to temp for a while, then making chili with it, so the cut meat would simmer in sauce as well.

 

[NeoBrew]

What was the internal temp at 9pm? If you had that up to 190+ you would have killed off all the bad stuff. Of course as you drop down it will have the chance to start growing again, but you started out sterile, so that helps. I have been doing sous vide, and ran across some fascinating information about cooking temperatures on this page. Look down the page to the table called "Pasteurization Time for Chicken With 5% Fat Content". It might give you some comfort with your overnight rest.

If it were me, I would eat it. I would just be careful not to expect it to last in the refrigerator for more than a couple days.

Heating it back up to 180 would re-kill any bacteria. I would think that just boiling it in chili would do all the same without the extra step.

If it is starting to turn, your nose can help. If it starts to smell sour something has gone wrong.

Also, nothing is worth getting sick. When in doubt, throw it out.

 

[IslandLizard]

I would eat it too, and a lot of it! But I'm natively European.

Then what's likely not going to get used up by tomorrow make chili with it right now, as you said. Cooking in chili will extend it's edible (and safe) lifetime by several days. Chili is usually better a day (or 2) later anyway.

 

[Dcpcooks]

Your fine. Bacteria won’t work into the meat and I doubt you have any on the surface. Reheat it to 165 for a few min before you eat it and you’ll kill any bugs.

 

[ChefRex]

Pack it up with some dry ice, send it to me and I'll eat it!

 

[mojo_wire]

Looks like it was all good -- heated up nice and juicy, sliced brisket was great with perfect texture, chili went over well with all the guest.

 

[thekraken]

I just can't understand how you forgot about the brisket in the first place. For shame, mojo. For shame.

 

[Dcpcooks]

I just can't understand how you forgot about the brisket in the first place. For shame, mojo. For shame.

I suspect tasty beverages played a roll in the forgetting[emoji106]

 

[applescrap]

Man I wish I had this problem. I have the opposite problem, digging in it all night until 8 a.m..