Should this pork be discarded?

[STiZzle2010]

My wife put a 7 lb pork butt in a crockpot full of room temperature root beer between 7:30-8:00 this morning and left the house. She returned between 12:30-1:00 to find that the outlet where the crockpot was plugged was not working. Is this pork now bad or will it be ok as long as it cooks to the proper internal temerature?

 

[Dawgluver]

I THINK you should be OK. Cook the heck out of it on high. Others may have a different opinion. Some of us leave meat out on the counter all night.

BTW, welcome to DC!

 

[Kayelle]

Was the 7lbs of pork cold before it went into the crock pot with the room temp root beer? If so, it likely took at least a couple of hours to come up to room temp on it's own. Personally, I'd go ahead and cook it.

 

[STiZzle2010]

Yes, the pork had been in the refrigerator for the past day and half. I appreciate the feedback, quick response, and welcomes!

 

[Andy M.]

I'd cook it and eat it.

 

[Cheryl J]

I'd go ahead with it, too. Although I might oven roast it first just to bring the temp up quickly, then crock pot it. But either way, you should be fine.

Welcome to DC!

 

[Steve Kroll]

Wouldn't bother me one bit.

 

[dragnlaw]

I concur and would say Go for it!

Have left stuff on the counter over-night many times. Both cooked and uncooked. I also agree with Cheryl J but think (especially if your crock doesn't have a sear setting) perhaps a pot on a burner would be a little faster than the oven.

 

[Addie]

Go for it. Who of us hasn't left out a food overnight on the counter. Or that Thanksgiving turkey or custard pie. And we are all still here to tell you about it.

Welcome to DC. Please do stick around. We love having new members.

 

[STiZzle2010]

Thanks everyone. I took extra precaution and cooked on high until I had an internal temp of 165 degrees and our pulled pork was delicious!

 

[Addie]

Thanks everyone. I took extra precaution and cooked on high until I had an internal temp of 165 degrees and our pulled pork was delicious!

Glad to hear it was a success. Would you care to share that recipe with us?

 

[Dawgluver]

Yay! I am very happy for you!

 

[Kayelle]

Let's not get carried away with the 'it never killed me" darker side of food poisoning. No, I for one have never left anything on the counter overnight without throwing it out and it didn't have a chance to kill us.

In this case, a specific valid question was asked and answered.
Glad to hear the good report!

 

[STiZzle2010]

Glad to hear it was a success. Would you care to share that recipe with us?

Sure, I usually use pork tenderloin however this time I used a butt. Place the meat in crockpot and fill it with root beer. Cover and cook for about 6 hours on low (until nice and tender). Remove meat and shred. Drain crockpot of all liquid. Add back in shredded pork and add in BBQ sauce to your liking (I use Sweet Baby Rays and add enough so that the meat is just saturated). I also add about 4-6 ounces of beer then cover and cook on high for about 30-45 minutes. We don't like coleslaw so we just add it to a potato bun as is an enjoy it as is. If you try it, let me know what you think.

 

[GotGarlic]

Let's not get carried away with the 'it never killed me" darker side of food poisoning. No, I for one have never left anything on the counter overnight without throwing it out and it didn't have a chance to kill us.

In this case, a specific valid question was asked and answered.
Glad to hear the good report!

No kidding. The ones who aren't here to tell you about it... um...

 

[dragnlaw]

GG - that's exactly why we don't get fanatical about it - because those ones aren't here to tell us... (come on... just kidding)

We each make our own judgement call. I threw out a pound of good lean ground beef just yesterday. It wasn't left on the counter - was still in the fridge. Recipe never got made and there was a slight "off" smell. I trust my nose & eyes under certain circumstances. And ground meat will tell you pretty quick.

Ground meats and meats with a lot of fat (the first part to go rancid) are always susceptible to turning faster than lean solid meats. I also think of just who is going to be eating this... certainly not young children nor the elderly.

I could also get into packaging but .... another time.

 

[Addie]

You are so right dragnlaw. All of the members here are adults and have common sense. Just the fact that STiZzle questioned the safety of his meal and had the good common sense (that we all have) to go to a site that would have the right answer tells us something.

Nobody here would deliberately give bad advice that would make someone sick. I would say 99% of the answers to a question are spot on. Based on their personal experience in the kitchen.

It's fine to look up scientific information in the food magazines. But we need to keep in mind, sometimes the information is premature in its presentation. The scientist is in a hurry to be published. It will look better on his resume. So that information needs to be taken with a grain of salt.

I would rather listen to the members here and follow their advice when it comes to food, than any scientific study.

 

[GotGarlic]

It's fine to look up scientific information in the food magazines. But we need to keep in mind, sometimes the information is premature in its presentation. The scientist is in a hurry to be published. It will look better on his resume. So that information needs to be taken with a grain of salt.

How did you come by this fascinating conclusion? Because that's really not how it works.

Btw, food magazines is not where you will find scientific information.

 

[dragnlaw]

How did you come by this fascinating conclusion? Because that's really not how it works.

Btw, food magazines is not where you will find scientific information.

That's not how it is supposed to work. and she didn't say it was 100% that way - I feel she was just implying it could be that way.

Food magazines often do articles on scientific studies of some ingredient or recipe. Are you saying you've never seen one?

Although I remember one article on eggs - not scientific at all - and very wrong saying brown eggs come from brown hens - OMG was pretty funny! everything else was pretty right but that...

 

[Cooking Goddess]

...I would rather listen to the members here and follow their advice when it comes to food, than any scientific study.

As a kid, I bet you were one of those whose Mom asked "if your friends jumped off of a cliff...".

When it comes to food safety and my health, I think I'll go with the findings of the scientist who studied yucky germs in his petri dish. Lucky for most posters, though, that many members here do know which advise to give based on reading what trained professionals have written. Still doesn't hurt to error on the side of caution. Tossing a food item is cheaper than a trip to the doctor.