YASTE (... Safe to eat?)

February 20, 2016 2:31 PM

I have left over slices of abs fab BBQ beef brisket from Franklin's BBQ in Austin, TX. It will have been at room temp for 12-16 hours, wrapped in plastic. I dearly want to eat this ... dare I?
posted by cameradv to Food & Drink (37 answers total)

No. Sorry, though.
posted by pintapicasso at 2:42 PM on February 20, 2016 [2 favorites]

No.
posted by limeonaire at 2:44 PM on February 20, 2016

Good heavens, no.
posted by teponaztli at 2:49 PM on February 20, 2016 [1 favorite]

room temp like 70 F or room temp like the floor or hold of an airplane?
posted by Exceptional_Hubris at 2:51 PM on February 20, 2016

Best answer: I would. I mean, it's cooked.
posted by youcancallmeal at 2:51 PM on February 20, 2016

I wouldn't eat it. Sorry.
posted by Faint of Butt at 2:54 PM on February 20, 2016

Best answer: With the long smoke, I would, fully accepting the possible consequences-- full-on food poisoning. It's probably irresponsible. Do not listen if you're immunocompromised or need to be functional in the next 24 hours.
posted by supercres at 2:55 PM on February 20, 2016 [4 favorites]

Yeah, this is really a simple, Homer Simpson-esque choice of whether the BBQ is worth it.
posted by rhizome at 3:01 PM on February 20, 2016 [1 favorite]

Imagine if you eat this and get so sick that you develop a taste aversion to smoked brisket. *crossing arms, delivering stern stare*
posted by ftm at 3:02 PM on February 20, 2016 [12 favorites]

Best answer: I would eat the ever loving snot out of that.
posted by DarlingBri at 3:07 PM on February 20, 2016 [6 favorites]

Obviously, you want to eat this. Some pathogens are killed by high heat. So, bring it up to high heat for 10-15 minutes. Some pathogens will still leave a toxin that could make you ill. It's a crapshoot, but you can improve your odds a bit.
posted by theora55 at 3:08 PM on February 20, 2016

Best answer: I would.
posted by notquitemaryann at 3:19 PM on February 20, 2016

I fully expect to think "of course you should eat it" when I click on these types of AskMes. In this case I actually think you shouldn't eat it.
posted by tatiana wishbone at 3:22 PM on February 20, 2016

I hella would not.
posted by vers at 3:23 PM on February 20, 2016 [2 favorites]

Best answer: Do not eat it. I would eat it.
posted by sockpup at 3:27 PM on February 20, 2016 [15 favorites]

The FDA recommendation for leftovers at room temperature is four hours max. Now most people consider that laughably short, and that's limit is extremely conservative for obvious reasons, but it's still the guideline that's there.... and you're talking about going 3-4x over. I wouldn't.
posted by Itaxpica at 3:32 PM on February 20, 2016 [1 favorite]

I mean, I ate leftover Franklin's that had been in my car from Austin to New Orleans (easily a 7 or 8 hour drive, plus) and in my fridge for a day or two after that and was fine. 12 to 16 hours is pushing it though, even for smoked and cooked meat which would be lower on my danger meter than other kinds of meat. I think it depends on how much you value the state of your stomach over the next 24 hours.
posted by MadamM at 4:18 PM on February 20, 2016

Best answer: Franklin's BBQ - dry rub and no sauce? I would live on the edge and eat it. (You probably shouldn't, but I totally would.)
posted by 26.2 at 4:19 PM on February 20, 2016

Best answer: Eat something cooked via a process intended to denature the meat to the deepest level, sitting around for less than a day, wrapped in plastic? I would eat it without batting an eye.
posted by humboldt32 at 4:24 PM on February 20, 2016 [4 favorites]

Best answer: I would without a doubt eat this (and have eaten similar before). It is certainly well outside of what the FDA would consider reasonable though.
posted by shownomercy at 4:32 PM on February 20, 2016 [1 favorite]

Best answer: A couple people have mentioned the smoking process as a reason to eat this. I may be mistaken, but while the smoking process imparts flavor to the brisket, it's not curing the meat. Brisket doesn't have the high salt content that you see in other smoked meats like bacon or corned beef, and it's not hard-smoked. I can't find a definitive source either way, and I'm not a food scientist, but as far as I know, it's a very bad idea to assume that something is cured just because it was cooked in hot smoke.
posted by teponaztli at 4:34 PM on February 20, 2016 [2 favorites]

Response by poster: It came out of the fridge with a little frost on it. Wrapped in several layers and places in luggage, insulated with (dirty) clothes. 7am till 11pm when I can re-refrigerate it. If I'm going to take a chance, I'm not going to cook the shit of of it later. I do have access to sous vide. How about another couple hours at 160?
posted by cameradv at 5:02 PM on February 20, 2016

There's two problems that I can see with cooking it sous-vide at this point. One is that while a high temperature might kill of bacteria, it won't eliminate the toxic waste products they leave behind, which can absolutely make you sick. The second is that a big part of the appeal of brisket is its texture; would you be able to keep the texture of Franklin's brisket after a couple hours sous-vide, or would it start to turn to jelly?
posted by teponaztli at 5:07 PM on February 20, 2016 [1 favorite]

Best answer: Looking at your update, I'd eat it.
posted by Specklet at 5:14 PM on February 20, 2016 [1 favorite]

Best answer: If I'm going to take a chance, I'm not going to cook the shit of of it later. I do have access to sous vide. How about another couple hours at 160?

Just reheat is as you normally would and eat it!
posted by DarlingBri at 5:23 PM on February 20, 2016

Best answer: FDA, schmeFDA. I would eat this so hard.
posted by dinnerdance at 7:03 PM on February 20, 2016 [1 favorite]

Best answer: I'd eat hands down after a stint in the microwave. True deliciousness.

I'd just take the consequences.
posted by AlexiaSky at 7:48 PM on February 20, 2016

Response by poster: 1 minute in the microwave. Eaten with no sauce, washed down with Sam Adams Crystal Pale Ale. I'll report consequences tomorrow.
posted by cameradv at 8:03 PM on February 20, 2016 [10 favorites]

Best answer: When I smoke a brisket it hits an internal temperature of 140° F in two hours or so. It then cooks for a minimum of six hours after that – every pit master's peak temperature at which the brisket is pulled off the heat is a trade secret, but it's probably in the 195-205° F range. Standard practice is then to hold the brisket at 170° or above until serving. So, at least eight hours above the danger zone, and usually well more than that? I'd eat it.

That said, brisket is nowhere near as good left over as when it's still warm. I haven't had any leftovers since getting an immersion cooker though. I'd have been curious how it would have turned out had you not gone for the microwave.
posted by fedward at 8:09 PM on February 20, 2016 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: It was still bathed in gelatin goodness. Maybe not quite as good as fresh, but I'm glad to have had it in my mouth the second time round.
posted by cameradv at 8:11 PM on February 20, 2016 [6 favorites]

Best answer: Wow, no. If you're not pooping up a storm, you got lucky.
posted by feckless fecal fear mongering at 5:28 AM on February 21, 2016 [3 favorites]

Response by poster: I survived the night with not a twinge of distress.
posted by cameradv at 7:00 AM on February 21, 2016

Wow, no. If you're not pooping up a storm, you got lucky. -- posted by feckless fecal fear mongering

Eponysterical.
posted by DarlingBri at 7:21 AM on February 21, 2016 [4 favorites]

i would not have eaten this and i've eaten food out of public park garbage cans before. i also often pick through leftovers on my counter/kitchen table the next day.

i salute your bravery and commitment to the cause for chowing down though, comrade.

(and yea, holy crap, updates are needed. sometimes i'm fine for an entire day and even make it to work the next morning before needing a seatbelt to have any hope of staying on the toilet due to the sheer thrust involved)
posted by emptythought at 5:29 PM on February 21, 2016 [2 favorites]

If meat smells bad don't eat it. That is what noses are for. If it smells good, no problem.
posted by bhnyc at 4:09 AM on February 22, 2016

That is only half true. Many pathogens do not emit any odours, and/or are toxic before odours are detectable by humans.
posted by feckless fecal fear mongering at 6:56 AM on February 23, 2016

Response by poster: Far future update: no issues, period.
posted by cameradv at 10:26 AM on March 29, 2016 [1 favorite]