Accidentally left Pork roast out overnight..

[Glenstr]

Greetings all, new to the forum.

We got in late from a trip to the city last night, and after unpacking all our groceries a large boneless pork loin roast was left out to be put in the freezer. This morning we noticed that it had been left out overnight sitting on the counter. The house thermostat is turned down overnight, and temps drop to about 16-17C, so the roast sat out on the counter for about 12 hours. It had also had a 3 hour trip from the city in the back of my truck at the 0C to +1C range. I put it in the freezer right away and I tend to think its ok, since I am a hunter I usually hang meat for many days before freezing, and I can't see how sitting overnight would harm it. My wife however, is insisting we throw it out and not take chances.

The meat was still cool to the touch when I put it in the freezer, I think its ok, what do the readers of this board think?

thanks in advance..

 

[GB]

Unfortunately, your wife is right. 16C (which is about 60F if my conversion is correct) is too warm to store meat. The danger zone is 40-140F. Any meat left in that temp zone for more than a few hours becomes potentially unsafe to consume. That does not mean that it will definitely make you sick, but it is kind of like wearing your seat belt. You may not need it every time you drive, but the one time you do need it you will be sorry if you are not wearing it. With your meat, you could possibly eat it and be fine, but if you did get sick (and being in the danger zone that long greatly increases the chances of that) then you would be very sorry you took that chance.

BTW welcome to the forum!

 

[Callisto in NC]

I'd cook it and eat it. I wouldn't think twice. Others will probably tell you no but I've done worse and I'm still alive.

 

[bethzaring]

I would throw it out. You have violated the danger zone rules. In my house, it would not be worth the chance of being violently ill. You do not know how that meat was handled. There is a big difference between hunters hanging meat that is a whole carcass, compared to a chopped and carved up piece of meat that has had bacteria introduced with every cut.

 

[themonkeytree]

It was in the temperature danger zone for too long so sorry to tell you, but it has to be thrown out. I always say better safe then sorry.

 

[recipedirect]

Say Bye Bye....I'm a food safety instructor and would not touch it.

Liz

My motto is "When in doubt, throw it out!"

 

[Callisto in NC]

See, I told you no one would agree with you and me. I'm a single mom who has done similar. I think I'm just less susceptible to things and I'm only worried about my daughter and myself. My mother used to always by meat on the last available day so I grew up with a lot of risk.

Having said that, if it was frozen why you bought it, I would say it would have been perfectly fine to cook today but refreezing might not have been the best idea.

 

[B'sgirl]

I wouldn't eat it. Food poisoning sucks.

 

[Robo410]

was it wrapped? how? shrink wrapped? no air getting to it? or loose wrapped with juices spilling onto the counter?

How will you cook it? (This is one I would make a stew and make sure it was well cooked)

But technically none of that matters...it was too warm for too long unless you know who raised the pig and how it was butchered.

So there are so many ifs and it isn't worth the risk of food poisoning which really is no laughing matter.

I certainly would not freeze it for later.

 

[mozart]

Hi Glenstr,

You only have one risk that I'm aware of: Staphylococcus food intoxication.

All other bacteria that may have grown on your roast will be killed in the cooking process, but Staph produces a toxin that is very very heat stable. It is the only common bacteria that produces a toxin that is heat stable.

Staph aureus is a common bacteria and the staff toxin is one of the leading causes of food borne illness.

So what is the risk? Totally unknown. Too big for me to take in this case and believe me no one has a natural resistance to this toxin if it is present.

I suggest if you don't want to throw it out, then cook it and you eat it. If you don't become violently ill within 6-12 hours, it should be alright for your wife to eat the leftovers.

 

[Alix]

Toss it Glen. Not worth the risk. Mozart...excellent info, thanks.

 

[Constance]

My husband and I are pretty practical about these things, but when I asked him what he thought, he said, "He$$ no...throw it away!"
I agree. I'm sorry for you to lose this meat, but things happen. We learn from our mistakes.

 

[Glenstr]

was it wrapped? how? shrink wrapped? no air getting to it? or loose wrapped with juices spilling onto the counter?

How will you cook it? (This is one I would make a stew and make sure it was well cooked)

But technically none of that matters...it was too warm for too long unless you know who raised the pig and how it was butchered.

So there are so many ifs and it isn't worth the risk of food poisoning which really is no laughing matter.

I certainly would not freeze it for later.

It was shrink wrapped, purchased from Costco and not frozen when purchased. On the trip home it was packed with some frozen products (peas, mixed veggies etc.), it was outside (back of truck with canopy) and the outside temps were hovering around the freezing mark, so I am not concerned about that part.

There was no air getting to it, Costco does a good job wrapping their meats. There was not even any juices gathered on the bottom, and it was still cool to the touch. This is why I thought it might be ok, had the meat been warm to the touch and sitting in a puddle of juice there would be no question and the dog & cats would have ate like royalty tonight.

I think though, in any case I'll probably toss it, as that is the general consensus from all the excellent and helpful advice on this board.

 

[GB]

You are making a wise decision Glenstr. Do not forget that cool to the touch really does not mean anything. Body temperature is close to 100 degrees F. Touching something even half that could feel cool to the touch, but that would still be in the danger zone.

 

[ChefJune]

When in doubt, Throw it out!

I can tell you have never had food poisoning. If you had, you wouldn't think twice. That roast would go into the trash. Food poisoning is nasty. Not sure what you'd get from this would kill you, but you very well might feel like you would like to die!

 

[Robo410]

the final clincher...out for 12 hours...that's enough time for a lot of bacterial buildup...better safe than sorry. Toss it.

 

[jennyema]

No. It's not safe to eat!

And freezing or cooking it won't make it safe, either.

The bacteria on it multiplied exponentially while it sat out and could have produced toxins that aren't killed by heat or cold.

Throw it out, sorry to say.

 

[Jiayan Wu]

I think　you should listen to your wife, throw it out, the roast may have bacteria, not good to your health

 

[vyapti]

I put it in the freezer right away and I tend to think its ok, since I am a hunter I usually hang meat for many days before freezing, and I can't see how sitting overnight would harm it. My wife however, is insisting we throw it out and not take chances.

Hunted meat is in no way comparable to factory raised animals where they are fed regular stream of antibiotics, fed whatever will make them grow the fastest ... live in filth with no exercise ... transported without regard to health and safety ... all before they even make it to the slaughterhouse, where their meat is prepped for lengthy transport and storage periods.

There's a reason that you never hear of something like the Swine Flu developing from a herd of deer or salmonella outbreaks from a wild boar.

 

[Scotch]

From The Daily Pork on the site Home page - Pork Checkoff - The Other White Meat: pork, recipes, ham, cooking, producers

Is it safe to eat leftover food that was left out on the counter to cool at dinnertime, then forgotten until morning?

No. Bacteria grow most rapidly in the range of temperatures between 40 and 140 degrees 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. If a food has been left in the "Danger Zone" – between 40 and 140 degrees 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. It is always best to use the rule of “When in doubt, throw it out.”​