Degrees of risk. What your friend did probably is a higher degree of risk than some of the things we do that still have some risk. Examples: medium rare burgers, runny eggs, etc. Personally I wouldn't cold smoke, but that doesn't mean that I am not rolling the dice with other things I do.
Well, I don't do medium rare burgers for that reason (I also don't like MR ground beef texturally). If I wanted them like that, I'd sous vide them then grill.
I assume cold smoking is riskier in some ways because you're smoking *in the danger zone* for longer time periods, so if something has bacteria you're holding the food at a relatively high temp (90F or around there, IIRC) which will encourage growth for a long time, giving anything growing more time to grow.
rickgregory I think another big risk with cold smoking is that botulism or in this case listeria are NOT killed by the temperatures used in cold smoking and in fact can be encouraged to grow at such temperatures. Even if you later cook the meat, the damage is done in the case of botulism, as it produces deadly toxins that are not removed by later cooking. I don't know about listeria. Curing meat makes it somewhat safer, as the "cure" inhibits bacterial growth.
Wow, quite the misadventure! Very glad to hear your friend will be fine, but I bet that dude was SICK. Thank you for sharing this, it's a good reminder for all of us.
That he was. He figured he just had a really bad case of the flu...but it was bad enough that when his wife insisted that he go to the doctor, he complied. Fortunately the doctor questioned the flu thing, and didn’t just send him on his way but instead ordered some tests. I can only imagine that he probably looked like death warmed up.
surfdog, That is good information. Thanks for sharing it. I belong to another BBQ group, Green Mountain Grill Owners, on facebook where this issue has come up. I've cautioned that cold smoking by amateurs is probably not a good idea. May I have your permission to repost in that group? I'll keep it anonymous if you like.
I would suggest you turn your friends on to Meathead 's entire article on the subject over in the free part of AmazingRibs.com. It might also attract some members to the Pit !!
Cold smoking sausage and fish is risky and can kill you. Here are the risks and why you should not try it at home. Bottom line: holding foods in the "danger zone" of 40ºF to 140ºF allows pathogens to multiply if not carefully controlled. Food cooked to above 140ºF internal temperature is simply safer to eat.
Troutman, I have referred those folks to our website on two or three occasions. I think it would be worthwhile to provide a real-life experience. That's why I asked for permission to re-post it. I did not post the link to the article. Thanks for that. I'll do it.
Certainly...best to get the word out.
I also agree with Troutman to link the article by Meathead as it contains good info to go along with the warning.
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