# Smoker turned off while smoking a brisket



## ajax

Hello. This is my first post. I have never tried smoking a brisket before now. I have a Traeger. 

Last night I had the smoker temp running at about 150F and the internal temp of the brisket was at 122F. When I woke up this morning the Smoker temp was at 82F and the brisket was at 87F. Would I be crazy to finish the smoke?


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## damon555

Where did you ever get the idea that 150 (typo?) degrees was a safe temperature to do your smoking?... Your brisket was doomed from the get-go. Toss it and try again at 225 degrees......


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## tropics

Ajax said:


> Hello. This is my first post. I have never tried smoking a brisket before now. I have a Traeger.
> 
> Last night I had the smoker temp running at about 150F and the internal temp of the brisket was at 122F. When I woke up this morning the Smoker temp was at 82F and the brisket was at 87F. Would I be crazy to finish the smoke?


Ajax that does not sound good 40 to 140 in 4 hrs is the normal safe zone.Yours did not hit 140 smoking at 150* is dangerous unless using cure #1 Hopefully Chef JJ will see this

Richie


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## schlotz

No, not safe! Throw it out and start again. Tropics is correct, safe calls for it getting to an IT of 140° within 4 hours.  While there are a number of ways to get good brisket, either via low & slow or hot & fast, smoking at 150° is not one of them.  Good place to start for low & slow is 225°. Many do their's in the range of 250-275° others go higher.


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## SmokinAl

I agree with the above and would ditch it, however before you throw it out wait until Chef Jimmy J sees this.

I also don't understand why you would smoke something at 150 degrees that has a finish temp of 195 or so.

I PM'd him & when he gets on he will comment on this.

Al


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## Bearcarver

Ajax said:


> Hello. This is my first post. I have never tried smoking a brisket before now. I have a Traeger.
> 
> Last night I had the smoker temp running at about 150F and the internal temp of the brisket was at 122F. When I woke up this morning the Smoker temp was at 82F and the brisket was at 87F. Would I be crazy to finish the smoke?


Yup--I agree with the others. Gotta get that Heat up next time.

Below is a Step by Step on a Small Brisket Flat, but it will give you some idea:

Link:

*Brisket Flat*     

Bear


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## chef jimmyj

First off guys, the 40-140 in 4 rule only applies to Ground, Injected and BRT meat. I spoke to Ajax and the Brisket was Intact. The " Rule " does Not apply. Next the beef was well seasoned with a Rub containing Salt. This goes a long way toward inhibiting Bacterial growth. While the USDA " guideline " recommends smoking at 225, that temp offers a wide margin of safety taking the above non-intact meats and mishandled meat by inexperienced cooks into consideration. Bacteria is also killed at lower temps. Look at Sous Vide cooking where Chicken can be cooked at 149°F for as little as 1 Hour...https://www.chefsteps.com/activities/sous-vide-time-and-temperature-guide ...In an Oxygen Free Bag! The most dangerous Bacteria are Anerobic and only grow or only grow well in low Oxygen. For Decades, it has been common, in Restaurants, to Roast Beef at the desired finished IT. A temp controled oven that holds moisture is set to the desired IT, say 130°F, and the Beef is roasted for 3-4 hours per pound until the IT hits 130°F and the meat is done. Here is a published example using a Combi Oven but 25 years ago I spoke to a Chef that did his in an Alto-Shaam, which is basically a Holding Oven...http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/01/08/AR2008010801295.html

Ajax Smoked the intact brisket for several hours at 150-160, the IT reached 122 and Bacteria was killed. Now the Smoker dies. Did every Bad Bacteria known to man see this and make a mad dash to recontaminate the meat? No, not likely...Ajax caught the failure and put the meat in a 225° Oven to finish the cook. In the event that some bacteria made their way into the smoker, they were killed in the oven. Yeah Chef but what about Botulinum TOXINS!?!  From the CDC... http://emergency.cdc.gov/agent/Botulism/clinicians/control.asp

Despite its extreme potency, botulinum toxin is easily destroyed. Heating to an internal temperature of 85°C (185°F) for at least 5 minutes will decontaminate affected food or drink.
Should you smoke at 225? Yes, SMF recommends it because it covers a variety of errors, including smoker failures and mishandled meat anywhere from slaughter to smoker, and offers a broad margin of Safety. If you cook* Intact Meat,*  *covered with a Salty Rub,* at lower temps or the smoker dies for a couple hours will you create the next EPA Super Site in your Smoker? Not Likely! Each situation is VERY different and ALL the criteria and circumstances has to be taken into consideration before a recommendation of " TOSS IT! " is automatically made. There is a lot more to learn about Safe Cooking than just what the USDA Fact Sheets for Home Cooks recommends. The more I study the more I learn...There is no need to Toss the meat...IN THIS SITUATION...JJ


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## Bearcarver

I Bow to Jimmy's knowledge on this.

I know about the 4 hour rule not pertaining to intact muscle.

However going by my sleeping hours, going to bed at 10 PM and getting up at 6 AM would mean the meat would have been in the Danger Zone for 8 hours after the couple hours it took to get to 122°.

I should have know better, like Al did for saying "Wait for Chef Jimmy J to see this".

Sorry Ajax,

Bear


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## schlotz

I stand corrected and learned more from the master. Thanks Jimmy! 

Matt


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## damon555

If it were mine I'd still be to paranoid to eat it.....


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## ajax

I could be way off, but I'm not too concerned as some people eat beef raw. However, I am concerned for others well being, so I started yet another brisket this morning and started it at 225F and will give the option. With all that being said, I'm not too concerned as calmer minds prevail. Thank you Chef Jimmy J!!!


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## SmokinAl

Ajax said:


> I could be way off, but I'm not too concerned as some people eat beef raw. However, I am concerned for others well being, so I started yet another brisket this morning and started it at 225F and will give the option. With all that being said, I'm not too concerned as calmer minds prevail. Thank you Chef Jimmy J!!!


Eating beef raw & eating a piece of beef that has been un-refrigerated for some time is quite different. 

The answers you got to your question were based on the experience & combined knowledge of the people on here.

When asked a question such as yours, we always error on the side of caution.

Chef Jimmy J is the food safety expert on here and always has the correct answer.

This is why I advised you not to do anything until you heard from him.

From now on if you have a situation such as this happen again, I suggest you just PM him for an answer.

Al


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## edwardc

remember that the internal temperature of brisket can increase by 10 degrees even after it's been removed from grill


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## soxfan1983

JimmyJ, I had a similar situation this morning. I PM'd you. Can you let me know? Thanks



Chef JimmyJ said:


> First off guys, the 40-140 in 4 rule only applies to Ground, Injected and BRT meat. I spoke to Ajax and the Brisket was Intact. The " Rule " does Not apply. Next the beef was well seasoned with a Rub containing Salt. This goes a long way toward inhibiting Bacterial growth. While the USDA " guideline " recommends smoking at 225, that temp offers a wide margin of safety taking the above non-intact meats and mishandled meat by inexperienced cooks into consideration. Bacteria is also killed at lower temps. Look at Sous Vide cooking where Chicken can be cooked at 149°F for as little as 1 Hour...https://www.chefsteps.com/activities/sous-vide-time-and-temperature-guide ...In an Oxygen Free Bag! The most dangerous Bacteria are Anerobic and only grow or only grow well in low Oxygen. For Decades, it has been common, in Restaurants, to Roast Beef at the desired finished IT. A temp controled oven that holds moisture is set to the desired IT, say 130°F, and the Beef is roasted for 3-4 hours per pound until the IT hits 130°F and the meat is done. Here is a published example using a Combi Oven but 25 years ago I spoke to a Chef that did his in an Alto-Shaam, which is basically a Holding Oven...http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/01/08/AR2008010801295.html
> 
> Ajax Smoked the intact brisket for several hours at 150-160, the IT reached 122 and Bacteria was killed. Now the Smoker dies. Did every Bad Bacteria known to man see this and make a mad dash to recontaminate the meat? No, not likely...Ajax caught the failure and put the meat in a 225° Oven to finish the cook. In the event that some bacteria made their way into the smoker, they were killed in the oven. Yeah Chef but what about Botulinum TOXINS!?!  From the CDC... http://emergency.cdc.gov/agent/Botulism/clinicians/control.asp
> 
> Despite its extreme potency, botulinum toxin is easily destroyed. Heating to an internal temperature of 85°C (185°F) for at least 5 minutes will decontaminate affected food or drink.
> 
> 
> Should you smoke at 225? Yes, SMF recommends it because it covers a variety of errors, including smoker failures and mishandled meat anywhere from slaughter to smoker, and offers a broad margin of Safety. If you cook *Intact Meat,* *covered with a Salty Rub,* at lower temps or the smoker dies for a couple hours will you create the next EPA Super Site in your Smoker? Not Likely! Each situation is VERY different and ALL the criteria and circumstances has to be taken into consideration before a recommendation of " TOSS IT! " is automatically made. There is a lot more to learn about Safe Cooking than just what the USDA Fact Sheets for Home Cooks recommends. The more I study the more I learn...There is no need to Toss the meat...IN THIS SITUATION...JJ


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## chef jimmyj

soxfan1983 said:


> JimmyJ, I had a similar situation this morning. I PM'd you. Can you let me know? Thanks


I got you covered and PM sent. Even with the smoker dying, you are good to go finishing the  cook...JJ


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## Travis565

chef jimmyj said:


> I got you covered and PM sent. Even with the smoker dying, you are good to go finishing the  cook...JJ



Sent you a pm. I appreciate any help you can give me! And i hope it isn’t beating a dead horse for you lol


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## chef jimmyj

It's all good. The surface bacteria is dead with inhospitable conditions for any airborne bacteria to contaminate and grow...JJ


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## Travis565

chef jimmyj said:


> It's all good. The surface bacteria is dead with inhospitable conditions for any airborne bacteria to contaminate and grow...JJ



Heck yea!


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## TBeam

Hello everyone. Reviving this thread since I had a similar issue arise last night. I already PM’d Chef Jimmy, but would appreciate anyone’s insight who is available now.

I put a brisket on just after 9PM last night and stayed up until about 2AM before heading to bed. The internal temp of the brisket got up to at least 160 before I hit the hay, but I can’t say how long the meat stayed at this temp or if it went higher at any point throughout the night. 

Issue: my smoker went out (don’t know when) and when I woke up at 6:30AM the smoker and the meat temps were both just under 100.

It’s 8:30AM and I’ve now had the smoker between 260-290 for about an hour and a half, IT of the meat currently at 170. Is it safe to finish this smoke, or do I need to toss and chalk this up to a loss? If safe to eat, how should I handle the rest of the smoke to ensure the meat doesn’t dry out?

Any insight would be greatly appreciated!

Trevor


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## TBeam

Chef Jimmy got back to my PM. Thanks!


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## tcgsimon

I woke up to a similar problem with my brisket this morning, however, I had *injected* the brisket. I was smoking the meat for roughly 4 hours at 180, turned it up to 195 around 3:30am (internal temp was showing only around 100), went back to sleep. At 5:30, I noticed the smoker had turned off. Smoker maybe around 115, internal temp around 127, not sure how high it got....  I've got it going at 225 now... is it ruined?


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## Bearcarver

tcgsimon said:


> I woke up to a similar problem with my brisket this morning, however, I had *injected* the brisket. I was smoking the meat for roughly 4 hours at 180, turned it up to 195 around 3:30am (internal temp was showing only around 100), went back to sleep. At 5:30, I noticed the smoker had turned off. Smoker maybe around 115, internal temp around 127, not sure how high it got....  I've got it going at 225 now... is it ruined?




I'll let "ChefJimmy" tend to this---I seem to get a lot of these wrong:
However Smoking a Big hunk of meat at 180° smoker temp is too low, especially since you injected it. Internal should be around 135°-140° by the end of 4 hours, instead of just 100°. I wouldn't be going back to sleep at that point. But maybe that's just me.

Bear


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## tcgsimon

I've done it this way for a while, but never had a smoker malfunction, and thus never had it under 140 for so long... I PM'd chef jimmy as well. Not sure what happened or if I need to move to plan B today for some friends coming over.


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## SmokinAl

tcgsimon said:


> I woke up to a similar problem with my brisket this morning, however, I had *injected* the brisket. I was smoking the meat for roughly 4 hours at 180, turned it up to 195 around 3:30am (internal temp was showing only around 100), went back to sleep. At 5:30, I noticed the smoker had turned off. Smoker maybe around 115, internal temp around 127, not sure how high it got....  I've got it going at 225 now... is it ruined?



This is definitely one for JJ, but if you injected it & smoked it at such a low temp, then I would not take a chance. It sounds like a very risky position to be in. If it were me I would not eat it. But as Bear says, we often get these things wrong & JJ can give you a definite answer that you can rely on. But until you hear from him, I would not eat it. Keep cooking it, but wait to hear from JJ.
Al


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## TomKnollRFV

I'm with Al on this; when you inject it, it's really better to err on the side of caution. Even when you sterilize the injector needle etc, it's still opening a direct route to the interior.

Ultimately though listen to JJ, and if this is a 'well I need to toss it or serve it to the hangry relatives in an hour' err on the side of caution and don't serve it. <It's one thing to risk our selves, it's another to risk others>


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## tcgsimon

Yup, I appreciate the input guys. I will probably toss it. I'll keep cooking until JJ weighs in. Or if I don't hear in an hour, I'll change up and start something else on the smoker. 

Thanks!


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## SmokinAl

I PM'd JJ too, so just give it a while, he is usually on, on the weekends frequently.
Even if you start something else, don't toss the brisket until you hear from JJ.
You can always order pizza in a pinch!
Al


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## tcgsimon

SmokinAl said:


> I PM'd JJ too, so just give it a while, he is usually on, on the weekends frequently.
> Even if you start something else, don't toss the brisket until you hear from JJ.
> You can always order pizza in a pinch!
> Al



Thank you my friend. I was just looking at your Perfect Ribs and think that might be my plan B and I should have just enough time, but might not get the full 2 hours of rub fridge time.


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## chef jimmyj

UNLESS...The Brisket was rinsed AND you rubbed it with SPOG or a salty rub, your risk is high. If your injection was salty or acidic, wine, fruit juice, Soy Sauce, etc., that mitigates some risk.
Bottom line...You are feeding GUESTS, get Ribs or order Pizza. Sorry...JJ


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## tcgsimon

Yes, thank you very much for the response. I went that route just before you posted and played taps for the brisket. Better safe than sorry, even if it did look like an amazing piece of meat. :) Live and learn and I'll put a secondary temp sensor on. I normally do, but I got a new Traeger for father's day and it had one built in. Unfortunately, the system crashed so the probe was not working... One thing at a time I suppose.

Thank you ALL very much for sharing your wisdom on the matter.


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## Sharahso

TBeam said:


> Chef Jimmy got back to my PM. Thanks!




What happend to your cook? Have the same problem. Slept at 1:30am with the charcoals still burning. IT before i slept was 160, wrapped it already for around 30mins then refilled my coals and went to sleep. I got up at 4:30am to check the meat cause the coals should burn for 6hours but i think one of the coals i setup was wet and it just stopped burning. IT AT 4:30am was 125-130f. Is it still safe to finish it? I think coals stopped burning at around 2:30am so i got 2 hours of unattended meat. Could anyone give me a tip on this?

Btw, i am smoking a 13pound srf gold wagyu brisket seasoned it with only salt and pepper, sprayed it with apple cider, water, chili powder, and some salt mixture. Grill temp was 225-250 since 5pm-1:30am before i slept, maintained a clean smoke the whole afternoon and night. Just rested for 3 hours it is for a family gathering this lunch (it’s 6:51am now and my temp is back at 250-275f and internal temp of meat is back to 140-160f) i was supposed to finish at 6-7am


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## Sharahso

Sharahso said:


> What happend to your cook? Have the same problem. Slept at 1:30am with the charcoals still burning. IT before i slept was 160, wrapped it already for around 30mins then refilled my coals and went to sleep. I got up at 4:30am to check the meat cause the coals should burn for 6hours but i think one of the coals i setup was wet and it just stopped burning. IT AT 4:30am was 125-130f. Is it still safe to finish it? I think coals stopped burning at around 2:30am so i got 2 hours of unattended meat. Could anyone give me a tip on this?
> 
> Btw, i am smoking a 13pound srf gold wagyu brisket seasoned it with only salt and pepper, sprayed it with apple cider, water, chili powder, and some salt mixture. Grill temp was 225-250 since 5pm-1:30am before i slept, maintained a clean smoke the whole afternoon and night. Just rested for 3 hours it is for a family gathering this lunch (it’s 6:51am now and my temp is back at 250-275f and internal temp of meat is back to 140-160f) i was supposed to finish at 6-7am



Update: brisket went really really well for first cook! Thank you for everyone who helped!!


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## Spiky Pirate

Hello all.
I had the same scare this morning with my Camp Chef pellet grill.  This is my 5th brisket to smoke on it and have been loving it.  I put a 15lbs. brisket on last night around 10PM, checked the hopped, set it to 225 high smoke and went to bed.  I woke up just before 5AM and was surprised to see "FLAME" on my displayed, smoke not running...nearly started to cry, lol.  I checked the internal temp. and was at 150.  so I restarted and started my research.  I used kosher salt along with some other spices and some brown sugar, so I hope all is well.  Any helpful insight would be great.
Great discussion here all, Thanks.


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## Bearcarver

Spiky Pirate said:


> Hello all.
> I had the same scare this morning with my Camp Chef pellet grill.  This is my 5th brisket to smoke on it and have been loving it.  I put a 15lbs. brisket on last night around 10PM, checked the hopped, set it to 225 high smoke and went to bed.  I woke up just before 5AM and was surprised to see "FLAME" on my displayed, smoke not running...nearly started to cry, lol.  I checked the internal temp. and was at 150.  so I restarted and started my research.  I used kosher salt along with some other spices and some brown sugar, so I hope all is well.  Any helpful insight would be great.
> Great discussion here all, Thanks.




IT at 150°--No problem!

Bear


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## lKnoXl

I had a similar problem as the OP.  I put a 11LB Brisket with a salt and pepper rub on my pellet smoker set at 225F at around 10:15.  I know I still had temp at 225 an hour later, but don't know what the meat temp was even though I made the rookie mistake of having a probe in from the start of the smoke.  I went to sleep, and I can see on my security camera that sometime after the flame went out and the grill was cold by 12:15.  I woke up at 2 and noticed this and the meat temp was at 105F.  I had the grill re-fired by 2:10 and the meat was at 140 by 3:45.  I'm just wondering what my risk is here and how safe this is to serve at this point.  Thanks for any advice in advance.


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## Bearcarver

lKnoXl said:


> I had a similar problem as the OP.  I put a 11LB Brisket with a salt and pepper rub on my pellet smoker set at 225F at around 10:15.  I know I still had temp at 225 an hour later, but don't know what the meat temp was even though I made the rookie mistake of having a probe in from the start of the smoke.  I went to sleep, and I can see on my security camera that sometime after the flame went out and the grill was cold by 12:15.  I woke up at 2 and noticed this and the meat temp was at 105F.  I had the grill re-fired by 2:10 and the meat was at 140 by 3:45.  I'm just wondering what my risk is here and how safe this is to serve at this point.  Thanks for any advice in advance.




Sounds OK to me!!
Your total time from 10:15 to 3:45 was 5 1/2 hours, including all the ups & downs.
You could check with 

 chef jimmyj
 for confirmation, because I've been wrong before on these.

Bear


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## lKnoXl

Bearcarver said:


> Sounds OK to me!!
> Your total time from 10:15 to 3:45 was 5 1/2 hours, including all the ups & downs.
> You could check with
> 
> chef jimmyj
> for confirmation, because I've been wrong before on these.
> 
> Bear


Thanks so much.  I've gone with it.  For science.  I'll follow up with how it goes.


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## lKnoXl

lKnoXl said:


> Thanks so much.  I've gone with it.  For science.  I'll follow up with how it goes.


Two days later and everyone's alive.  Brisket was great.  Thanks.


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## Bearcarver

lKnoXl said:


> Two days later and everyone's alive.  Brisket was great.  Thanks.




That's Great !!
Did you post it?

Bear


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## Bearcarver

Bearcarver said:


> That's Great !!
> Did you post it?
> 
> On Edit---I see you didn't post it, so "Get The Next One".
> 
> Bear


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## lKnoXl

I did take a bunch of pictures so I'll definitely post when I get home.


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## floradeluna

Hi - came across this site in a very opportun time. (Sorry for hajacking).

Tried my first packer brisket today (too ambitious I now think). Using a Propane BBQ, hichory wood chunks and separated the pointe from the flat pieces. I trimmed it, salted it overnight. I put on a rub, but I did inject it with very salty beef broth and put in the probe right at the start.

Put those in around 1:15pm, had the BBQ smoking at 225F. Around 6pm I noticed one piece was at 135F the other 123F. The BBQ still saying 225F (but quite windy outside and inside thermometer was placed 6in higher than the meat - top grill). At 8pm-ish, we upped the BBQ temps to get the pointe at 145F and flat at 133F. I then wrapped those in foil and put then in the oven (300F to give it a little boost and reduced to 260 not long after). Its 11pm, one piece (pointe) is at 198F and i took it out, flat is 175F and still in.

All that to ask the infamous question...will I get sick eating these? 

Im thinking the pointe is safe, the flat I am not sure.

Thanks! :)


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## dr k

Was the therm for the smoker a dial or a tried and true digital boil tested therm. They were in pieces and 1:15pm to 8 and 145 IT. Sounds like the smoker temp was lower than expected. If you used high salt injection then all is good. If it was intact meat then it can take its time. Read the first two pinned posts by chef JJ on this food safety forum and it will clear things up.


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## floradeluna

Thanks! Yes, I agree with you, I think the thermometer of the BBQ was wrong and yes, injections were salty - I came across Chef JJ food safety after I posted and it eased my mind. Finished it in the oven. Tasted last night, let it cook some more, wrapped it foil/towel and put in a cooler today and we ate it at lunch. Was tasty but more of a pulled pork texture. Looking forward to trying again :)


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## Simon Lee

Hi all....have read through the thread and surprise I have a similar problem!

Am in UK so temps in F will be estimates. Set my WSM to around 250 F and got my 13.5 lb brisket in at around 8pm. Overslept and at 7.30 this morning it looked great but WSM temp was around 170 and IT around 150. I’ve reloaded and wrapped....and reading the posts in think I should be ok? 

I would DM chef jimmy....but hands up.....I can’t work out how to do it


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## gmc2003

You should be fine, your above the 140* mark, and any nasties would have been killed off earlier in the cook. 

To DM/PM just click on the "*inbox*"(upper right hand corner), and then click on "*start* *a* *new* *conversation*". Start typing in the name of the member(s) you want to converse with and they're name should fill in automatically.  

Chris


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## Bearcarver

Simon Lee said:


> Hi all....have read through the thread and surprise I have a similar problem!
> 
> Am in UK so temps in F will be estimates. Set my WSM to around 250 F and got my 13.5 lb brisket in at around 8pm. Overslept and at 7.30 this morning it looked great but WSM temp was around 170 and IT around 150. I’ve reloaded and wrapped....and reading the posts in think I should be ok?
> *I would DM chef jimmy....but hands up.....I can’t work out how to do it*




On my comment earlier, I made it easy for you.
Just click on "Chef Jimmy" (below), and it will start a "conversation" for you.
*
Sounds OK to me!!
Your total time from 10:15 to 3:45 was 5 1/2 hours, including all the ups & downs.
You could check with 

 chef jimmyj
 for confirmation, because I've been wrong before on these.

Bear*


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## Simon Lee

Thanks guys....cooked and eaten...and we’re all still here....tasted pretty flippin good too!


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## Bearcarver

Simon Lee said:


> View attachment 407130
> View attachment 407129
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Thanks guys....cooked and eaten...and we’re all still here....tasted pretty flippin good too!




Great Pics!!
Beautiful color in the one Pic, and I could take care of a Plate just like in the other Pic!!
Nice Job!
Like.

Bear


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## Sher

chef jimmyj said:


> It's all good. The surface bacteria is dead with inhospitable conditions for any airborne bacteria to contaminate and grow...JJ


Restarting thread as had similar problem. I put an injected brisket on at 4:45 at 250. Pellets ran out at around 8 I’m guessing. Temp of smoker at 98 and brisket temp 140 when reloaded smoker at 8:45. Temp back up to 250 in smoker by 9. Rechecked brisket temp at 10:15 is 149. Is it good to go or do I have a problem? Thanks!


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## chef jimmyj

You are Fine. IT got over 140 in plenty of time to kill any Bacteria pushed in by injecting. Enjoy the Brisket...JJ


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## Alijambo

Same thing for me.  I injected my brisket and it sat out for probably an hour or so while I prepped it an got my pellet smoker going.  I finally put it on at 11p.m. at low smoke (160).  Turned it up to 200 at midnight and all was good at 12:45 when I went to bed.  Checked it at 7:30, flame was out, smoker was cold and internal temp was 104.   I restated it at 220 and after 1.5 hours internal temp is 145.  I don't know if it ever hit 140 before going out but I'm guessing the salt in the injection combined with the rub and smoke gave me a little insurance.  After reading this I'm wondering if the injection did me in.  

Do you think its OK or should I toss it?


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## chef jimmyj

What did you inject and what was the outside temp? To find the meat 7 hours later and still 104, I don't think the smoker was down all that long...JJ


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## Alijambo

chef jimmyj said:


> What did you inject and what was the outside temp? To find the meat 7 hours later and still 104, I don't think the smoker was down all that long...JJ


The injection was Kosmos Original Beef Brisket.  Outside temp was low 20's.


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## chef jimmyj

Low 20's!?!? If that smoker was dead 6-7 hours, the meat would be near frozen. The smoker was down only a couple hours and the IT likely got to at least 140°F. The Injection is Soy Sauce, Phosphate and the flavor enhancer I & G. Not exactly bacteria friendly liquid! You are good to proceed...JJ


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## Alijambo

Thanks.


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## Colinp1

chef jimmyj said:


> You are Fine. IT got over 140 in plenty of time to kill any Bacteria pushed in by injecting. Enjoy the Brisket...JJ





chef jimmyj said:


> Low 20's!?!? If that smoker was dead 6-7 hours, the meat would be near frozen. The smoker was down only a couple hours and the IT likely got to at least 140°F. The Injection is Soy Sauce, Phosphate and the flavor enhancer I & G. Not exactly bacteria friendly liquid! You are good to proceed...JJ


Hi Jimmy,  I had a similar problem to many of the above. Smoking my first brisket here. 10-1/2 lbs. salt and spiced it and let it rest in the fridge for a couple of hours before putting it in the smoker at 10pm at 225. Put temp down to 200 at 11 (I think this is what did me in). Went to bed around 12 but didn’t check IT, and actually didn’t check to see if smoker was on. Woke up at 4 to check on it and smoke was out, temp down to ambient in smoker and in brisket was basically the same. Got smoker going again and temp up to 250. 

what are your thoughts? Safe to finish the cook?


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## chef jimmyj

Welcome. You didn't mention injecting anything even though you quoted those examples. Was it injected with anything? I don't see any issue with the meat as described...JJ


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## Colinp1

chef jimmyj said:


> Welcome. You didn't mention injecting anything even though you quoted those examples. Was it injected with anything? I don't see any issue with the meat as described...JJ


Oops. Wasn’t quite sure how to attach to this thread, so just replied to the latest.

Thanks for the quick response. No I didn’t inject it, just the salt and spice rub. Also put it on the smoker cold from the fridge. I just don’t think it got to 140 and fear the smoker was off for quite some time before I caught it. The meat and smoker were not hot, as I said basically outside temp which was around 65-68. 

What do you think?


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## wbf610

For those of you reading this getting ready to try your first brisket, do yourself a favor and buy a remote thermometer where you can monitor the smoker temp.  One with a low alarm would be good as well.  They aren’t expensive, most likely less than the brisket itself these days.  That way when you go to bed, it’ll wake you up if the smoker temp drops below set point, and you can get it going again asap.


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## chef jimmyj

Colinp1 said:


> Oops. Wasn’t quite sure how to attach to this thread, so just replied to the latest.
> 
> Thanks for the quick response. No I didn’t inject it, just the salt and spice rub. Also put it on the smoker cold from the fridge. I just don’t think it got to 140 and fear the smoker was off for quite some time before I caught it. The meat and smoker were not hot, as I said basically outside temp which was around 65-68.
> 
> What do you think?



You are fine...Intact meat only has bacteria on the surface and they were killed in the first hour. Getting to 140° in 4 hours does not apply to Intact meat...JJ


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## candytrs

Hi there! New here. I’m hoping I’m doing this correctly. 
I’m hoping you can help guide me. I put my brisket in an electric smoker last night at 11pm. I woke up to find out the smoker turned off. The brisket cooked for about 7hrs at 225. I don’t know what the last brisket temp was. Do I continue to cook? If so, how?  I don’t want a dry brisket. Feeding a group of people :(((
Super bummed.
12.7lb brisket - electric smoker at 225 cooked for 7 hrs.

i have sent chef Jimmy a pm as well.


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## chungjy

chef jimmyj said:


> You are fine...Intact meat only has bacteria on the surface and they were killed in the first hour. Getting to 140° in 4 hours does not apply to Intact meat...JJ


This thread helped me save my brisket!!  

By the time I discovered that the smoker was off, I guesstimate that it smoked for 8 hours (@225F) and the smoker was off for maybe 2 hours (ran out of pellets). Smoker was @ambient temp - 50F and brisket was @115F , so I was worried. 

Cooked 6 more hours (smoker, Texas Crutch wrap and indoor oven combination) and the brisket reached @200F.

It was slightly drier than usual, but still juicy and delicious. 
A week later all 7 of us are feeling fine. No issue with the meat.


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