What the heck did I make and is it safe to eat?

[UNKYFUNKY]

Hoping someone could help me.  First attempt at a cure.  I had some "Jerky" as this butcher shop called it and wanted to recreate it myself.  It was a tri tip smoked and cured whole.  The butcher had sliced it for me.  It had the consistency of like a prosciutto. So.... I had purchased a 2.75 pound tri tip, trimmed the fat and took out a deer whole muscle 1.75 pound slab that I had.  Cured the Tri tip according to instructions I received on the blog 1 tbsp. MTQ /  1Tbsp brown sugar along with some other Herbs and pepper.  On the deer, omitted the sugar but Cured with MTQ and pepper and other spices.  Rotated in the fridge for 7 days each.  Followed some other instructions I saw regarding smoking times and temps ( 2 hour @ 135 and then 4 hours smoke increasing the last hour to 165 and finish meats at 135-140 IT.  I assumed with my Auber, I could maintain those temps. Unfortunately, the smoke generator itself raised the box temp to much higher like 160-170. Figured I would just continue and dealing with the end product, loaded 6 hours of smoke (figured worst case, I would go to sleep, once the smoke ran out the smoker would keep the temps and continue to dry out the meat) My Auber is not connected to my smoke generator.  When I woke, about 7 hours from the last check, the biscuit advancer had gotten stuck so I only had a couple hours of smoke but I assumed the temps were in the 160-170's for 6-7 hours. I pulled the smaller deer roast out and sliced it open, I had noticed that there were juices running out of it which normally would be good.  I let it cool down and stuck it in the fridge. I had left the larger tri tip in the smoker and continued with smoke for about three more hours.  I know, this really sounds like a disaster.  The deer looked good but not like a cured meet but like a corned beef.  I did not open the tri tip but I assume it will look the same as the deer.

So Can I eat these safely? Should I just throw them away?    I have purchased and read both the Charcuterie book including the Salumi by Michael Ruhlman and looked through this Blog site but they leave many un answered questions .  On the "jerky" I had purchased from the butcher, they had it on the counter and told me it did not need refrigeration and would last several months.  Once meat is cured, can it be left out at normal temps? When I had bought and made the Jerky kits with the cure, they specifically say to refrigerate the product and it will last a couple of weeks. All seems very confusing to me. If someone can tell me of any books or resources I could read, I would appreciate it. If anyone could tell me how to add photos I can display the finished product.

[beefmann]

not  sure if i can be much  help here, though i have  cured Hams, pastrami, Canadian bacon and in excess of 1000 lbs..

as for morton tender  quick it should be at a  rate of 1 tablespoon per pound of  meat, plus your  other  spices herbs and sugars,  if you  are  below this rate you have  not  cured the  meat properly and would not consider it  cured and  recommend Tossing it .. better to be safe the  sorry.

Also never heard any one curing meats in the  manor you  have  described and  not recommended refrigeration....

now as for jerky i have not made any at all.. you  may want to  wait for someone who has more experience in this area before doing anything more  with the  meat,  I do have a concern for not the right amount of cure being used,, just not  sure on  how it applies to  jerky.. it may be  safe and if it  is  dried  out properly..

hope this  helps in  some manor.. im  no  expert in  jerky   

[Grouperman941]

I agree with the gist of what beefman says -- if you used 1 T of cure mix per pound, I think it is safe to eat. If you used less, it may not be because cooking temps were too low. It may not taste good, but you never know.

Your method does sound more like making a pastrami than jerky. What you had at the butcher sounds more like prosciutto or speck (though those are pork), which cure for a long time and the process is totally different.

[UNKYFUNKY]

Thanks for all your help I greatly appreciate your quick reply. I did use one tablespoon per pound of cure and did make sure I washed it thoroughly and even dried it in the refrigerator for 2 days after I rinsed it off. The meat looks and smells good but botulism is nothing to play with. I'm sure it was cured properly I did use the proper amount of cure. That being said, does it mean that the meat can handle the low temperatures? How can you tell if meat has been compromised? Obviously there are whole muscle meats thats are actually hung out for long periods without refrigeration after being cured. What standards do you need to follow after you've cured meat? Can you leave cured and smoked meat on the counter for 10 hours? I guess I'm just trying to figure out what  are the limits. When meat goes bad in the refrigerator it starts smelling and you know then to dispose of it. How then do you know when your cured meat is no good or what conditions do you need to follow after its cured? Can cured meat handle 2 days of smoke at 120 degrees? I did get home and looked at my tri tip and it also look like pastrami once I cut it open. Perhaps I should find another hobby! None will taste as good though. Thanks again for your help

[beefmann]

you do have  valid concerns for botulism and  it is nothing to be  mess with .. as for  the  duration of  leaving  meats  out,, one rule that  comes to  mind is the  4 hour rule ..  we have  4 hours to take the  meat from 35 - 40 F to  over 140- 145 f ( or close to these numbers ) so i would assume the same rule would apply to refrigerating the  meat afterwards.. also herd that after the  meat has been cook and removed from heat that it should be  refrigerated as soon as possible  after it has cooled.. Also they  indicate it is also not  good to  put  hot / warm meat into the  fridge as it will rise the  temp of the fridge and possible  spoil other foods . So  letting it cool to  room  temperature  or  close it to then  place it in refrigeration is the  best thing to  do

[UNKYFUNKY]

Thank you Beefman, those are great tips!

[beefmann]

quite  welcome

[piratey]

Lot of questions here...

That being said, does it mean that the meat can handle the low temperatures?

Curing meat with Cure #1 or Tenderquick means you don't have to worry about botulism.  You need to use some type of cure anytime your meat will be in the danger zone (40-140 degrees F) for longer than 4 hours.

How can you tell if meat has been compromised?

Not sure here.  For tenderquick, you can usually tell when the meat has been cured correctly, when using muscle meat.  When your cure hasn't penetrated all the way, you should see the difference between the meat if you cut a cross-section of it.

What standards do you need to follow after you've cured meat?

This depends a lot on how you cured the meat.  Different cures, different methods.

Can you leave cured and smoked meat on the counter for 10 hours? I guess I'm just trying to figure out what  are the limits. When meat goes bad in the refrigerator it starts smelling and you know then to dispose of it. How then do you know when your cured meat is no good or what conditions do you need to follow after its cured?

This depends on the meat.  Something like jerky, super lean, sliced thin and then dried, can be kept at room temperature without a problem.  Something like tri-tip, which you had, should be refrigerated.  Your big concern is the fat content.  Fat goes rancid when it is not kept at a cool temperature.

Can cured meat handle 2 days of smoke at 120 degrees?

I'm not sure how this applies to your situation.  You can smoke it for a long time, but 2 days of smoking means all the fat will be rendered and a super dry product results.

I did get home and looked at my tri tip and it also look like pastrami once I cut it open. Perhaps I should find another hobby! None will taste as good though. Thanks again for your help

Don't quit.  Explain what your goal was and ask for others to give you tips and directions, or to point you to a guide, and try again.

[Saber 4]

Looks like you've gotten some really good advice, I want to reinforce piratey's last statement. As I was learning the ropes on this site I found that researching my plan through the old posts and then posting my final plan along with any questions I had always resulted in getting just the right bit of information to make everything turn out perfect. I have even been the recipient of some timely help in the middle of more than one smoker crisis.

[UNKYFUNKY]

Wow!!! Piratey( along with all the rest of you guys) thank you for taking the time to help me with  my concerns! Your answers have really given me a lot more knowledge and peace of mind. I appreciate all the time you took to answer my questions! I'm very interested in  the mechanics of food and more specifically meat .  I will continue to try to elevate my knowledge.
In respect to me taking up other hobbies that was just a jest, I'm 280 pounds. I would rather give up breathing! 

Also, after reading your response I could not get to the fridge fast enough to try a sample of my finished product that I was holding hostage until I figured  this whole thing out. Although it was not the exact texture of what I was trying to produce it was incredibly close and tasty a. I think I even enjoyed it more than what I had purchased at the butcher. They claimed that they smoked theirs for two days. The Bradley is much more concentrated smoke. You guys always come to my aid when I am in timely need. Can't wait for the next cure and smoked project. Hmmm... maybe some Bresaola
Thanks again you guys rock!

[mwilliams7967]

Great information on this post! Answered some good questions! Thanks!


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