Ribs safe to eat

[rm41400]

Pulled some semi frozen ribs out of freezer last night. Put in a cold cooler with frozen chicken around 900pm to thaw for morning.

cooler is 25qt roto mold Orion. Packed tight. Only frozen and semi frozen meat in cooler. No room for ice. All freshly purchased meat.

I meant to cook first thing this am but couldn’t and forgot to add ice or check temp until 1130am.

Chicken is at 32-33* on bottom semi soft but has visible ice crystals on it. Ribs were sitting on top and felt warmer. I checked the ribs internal temp and they were between 40* and a few spots of 42-43*.

I immediately put them in freezer and started the smoker up. Once up to temp I started smoking. I can’t imagine these ribs were in the danger zone of 40+* for anytime at all. I am cooking the ribs and planning to enjoy them.

Would you have any concerns?

If 40* or cooler is safe for days. How long can they be at 41? 42? 43?

I’m interested in the science. I know what the FDA says but it’s very generic.I checked their site before posting. It’s not a sliding scale.

Thanks for the help!

 

[NCGrimbo]

Personally, I'd be OK as long as they are below room temp and go right onto the smoker. A lot of sites I've been to talk about having meat out at room temp for an hour before going onto the grill so I think it should be OK at 43 as long as you get it up to 165 or higher before serving to kill the germs.

 

[SMOKE FREAK]

Yer fine. Smoke on.

 

[rm41400]

Thanks for the comments. Yeah I’m totally fine with leaving a steak on the counter at room temp for an hour for seasoning to set and grill to get hot.

I don’t stress about having my cold ribs sit on the table pre cook for 30-40 minutes while I’m fixing them up

The big unknown on these ribs is how long were they above 40*. Would it be a problem if they were at 41-43 for 3 hrs?

They’re cooking and I’m gonna eat ‘em.. not sure I’ll serve to any guests.

 

[rm41400]

Personally, I'd be OK as long as they are below room temp and go right onto the smoker. A lot of sites I've been to talk about having meat out at room temp for an hour before going onto the grill so I think it should be OK at 43 as long as you get it up to 165 or higher before serving to kill the germs.

Was this pork or beef? Never heard of pork or chicken being allowed to come up to room temp first. Just curious.

Thanks for replies

 

[ssv3]

You're fine!

I've smoked meats with way higher temps than 40's with no issues. You'll know when it's bad.

 

[OneHump]

The rule is 4 hours, but that’s a generalization and ignores variables. If you’ve ever cared for a sourdough starter, the evolution of organisms is visibly clear. Ribs are typically going to cook over 170, which is insta-kill, but if you’ve got a lot of bacteria, they can release toxins as they die and basically poison the food.

My personal rule is to toss it if there’s a question. In your case, you’re talking about partially frozen, so my question would be what temp and for how long? There’s a big difference between 0F and 35F. You’re probably fine, but anything other than absolutely fine wouldn’t work for food that I’m serving my family.

Based on my understanding of what’s going on, if you’re at refrigerator temp of around 35-37F for fewer than three days, and climb to 41 for an hour, you’re good.

 

[LYU370]

Trust your nose, it'll tell when you shouldn't eat something. In this case, I'd eat em.

 

[rm41400]

Well the ribs smelled delightful uncooked. For some reason I didn’t think that was a safe measure…

Great points everyone thx.

 

[rm41400]

Just wanted to provide an update. My immediate family enjoyed the ribs and we all lived. The Ribs were quite good. Not my best job smoking but it was good considering it was a shotgun cook.

Thx for the help