Woud it be safe?

[GusRobin]

Yesterday i went into my freezer and took out a couple of pork chops. I set them aside and did some more rummaging. Later than night (about 8 hrs later) I realized that I left the chops out. To be safe I threw them out.

Later I began thinking --the chops were out in the garage, about 65-70* during the day. Since they were vac sealed, were they safe? If they were sealed there would be no oxygen so could the bacteria grow in such oxygen limited environment. Would they grow to such a low level that normal cooking would kill them?

I would probably always follow the "if in doubt, throw it out" mantra, but food for thought.

[TMB]

I would toss them Gus, no reason to take any chances

[Tailgating is my game]

I would toss them Gus, no reason to take any chances

X2

[Pappymn]

Porks cheap. And we are all running out of toilet paper.....


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[Ka Honu]

Porks cheap. And we are all running out of toilet paper...

If only more of life was guided by such practical observations... Jus' sayin'...

[smokeasaurus]

Live to fight another day I say.  Chuck the chops was smart.

[GusRobin]

I had already thrown them out but wondered if they were safe.

[teesquare]

Porks cheap. And we are all running out of toilet paper.....

So...are you suggesting that a pork chop can double as a sanitary moist towelette???
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[Ka Honu]

So...are you suggesting that a pork chop can double as a sanitary moist towelette???

Strange question from someone who was so ugly growing up that his parents hung a pork chop around his neck to try to get the dog to play with him. Jus' sayin'...

[smokeasaurus]

So...are you suggesting that a pork chop can double as a sanitary moist towelette???

Strange question from someone who was so ugly growing up that his parents hung a pork chop around his neck to try to get the dog to play with him. Jus' sayin'...

Not near as ugly as having to shave his butt and teaching him to walk backwards!!

[Salmonsmoker]

Yesterday i went into my freezer and took out a couple of pork chops. I set them aside and did some more rummaging. Later than night (about 8 hrs later) I realized that I left the chops out. To be safe I threw them out.

Later I began thinking --the chops were out in the garage, about 65-70* during the day. Since they were vac sealed, were they safe? If they were sealed there would be no oxygen so could the bacteria grow in such oxygen limited environment. Would they grow to such a low level that normal cooking would kill them?

I would probably always follow the "if in doubt, throw it out" mantra, but food for thought.

I read an article about thawing meat and if I remember right, it was directed at thawing vacpacked meat in cold water, like many of us do in the kitchen sink. The article stated that even though the water is cold, It's most likely in the danger zone, above 40F. The Botulism toxin reproduces and thrives best in an anaerobic (oxygen free) environment, which is what's inside the vacpacked meat. The advice of the article was that if you're going to thaw your vacpacked meats in cold H2O, you should pierce the bag to let O2 in, or remove from the vac bag, and put it in a ziplock bag to thaw which will now be in an aerobic environment. It was probably a good call to toss the chops, Gus.

[GusRobin]

I thought that the bacteria needed oxygen, well you learn everyday.
There was no doubt that I was going to toss it. No amount is worth risking our health. When in doubt, throw it out.

[TentHunteR]

If they were sealed there would be no oxygen so could the bacteria grow in such oxygen limited environment.

The most dangerous of bacteria thrive in  low/no oxygen environments.  In fact C. Botulinum, being an obligate anaerobe, NEEDS and thrives in a no oxygen environment.

If the chops still had ice on them, or still felt very cold, then they were probably safe.  If they were completely thawed or felt warm at all, then it was probably best to throw them away.

[Ka Honu]

Very informative thread. I learned that ...

     Gus has too much time on his hands and tries to make up for it by letting pork spoil so he can ask questions.
     Pappy is running out of toilet paper and tries to make up for it by buying cheap pork (I'm not sure I know or want to know how that works).
     Tee still wears a pork chop around his neck but also wants to use it for toilet paper.
     Tent knows stuff that the rest of us can only imagine.
     We all need to get out more but we should still maintain a healthy social distance (and then some) from Tee and his pork chop.

Jus' sayin'...

[Salmonsmoker]

If they were sealed there would be no oxygen so could the bacteria grow in such oxygen limited environment.

The most dangerous of bacteria thrive in  low/no oxygen environments.  In fact C. Botulinum, being an obligate anaerobe, NEEDS and thrives in a no oxygen environment.

If the chops still had ice on them, or still felt very cold, then they were probably safe.  If they were completely thawed or felt warm at all, then it was probably best to throw them away.

I do a lot of pressure canning/preserving, and rule #1 , #2 and #3 is, when opening the sealed lid is to listen for the pffft of air being sucked into the jar/can which tells there is a vacuum, and then visibly inspect the underside of the lid for black growth or mold. #1 if the vacuum was lost, it's a perfect environment for C Botulinum. Toss it.  #2 mold present? It's contaminated. Toss it. #3 smell it for "off" aromas. If it smells "off". Toss it.
Years ago, in the 1970's I think, one of the Salmon canneries in Alaska, had something go wrong in their canning process, and sent out a whole shipment of improperly processed canned salmon. Numerous people died from Botulism from that shipment. In turn, that almost killed the canned salmon industry.