Bradley smoker broke 1/2way through, still safe to eat?

[rob1234]

I'm making the modernist cuisine brisket and pork ribs. Started smoking both at 149 this morning but about 3-4 hours in my bradley original smoker seems to have broke so only the smoke generator is providing any heat and is only keeping it around 125 degrees.

Is it safe to continue smoking at 125 for the remaining 2.5 hours or should I take it out now? I'm not sure when it broke exactly but it may have been already at 125-130 for over an hour. It's currently around 119 as it dropped even more when I opened the door to change the water bowl.

I'll be sous vide ing the meat for 24 and 12hr at 80c after smoking.

[Dave the Cook]

I wouldn't worry about the hour (looking at the time stamp on your post, I guess by now it's more like 90 minutes) at 120-125, but I'd take them out now and S-V immediately. 80C (seems kind of high to me, but to each his own) will take care of anything that might have 1) lived through the initial 3-4 hours at 149; 2) propagated during the temperature drop.

I should add that I'm not a pathologist by any stretch of the imagination. On the other hand, I've cold-smoked (<100°F) pork ribs for four hours, then oven roasted them at 200°F many times, and never had a problem.

[rob1234]

Thanks Dave, after posting I googled cold smoking ribs and seems some people do it but others say you shouldn't cold smoke uncured meat over 40 degrees. Anyway, I just removed them from the smoker, bagged them, dunked them in boiling water (just in case) for 20 seconds and put them in the water bath.

I'm using 80 degrees for a shorter time as I'm serving it to some people that might not like the rarer version in the modernist cuisine recipe. 80 degrees gives them more of a traditional texture from my one or two tests.

Followup question, I was also smoking some baked beans but I had just put them in the smoker and they've only been in for ~15 minutes. Using this recipe http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/a/dutchs-wicked-baked-beans Would these be safe to continue smoking at 120 for 2-3 more hours since there is no raw meat in them?

[Dave the Cook]

It's probably no worse than leaving them on the kitchen counter for three hours -- something I'd do without a second thought. I'd just bring them to a good simmer for a few minutes before serving.

[rob1234]

Thanks Dave, the smoker seems to be working in spurts now as it's back up to 150 degrees but it's dropping again. I'll keep the beans in and simmer them before service tomorrow.

[David Ross]

You may want to check the internal temp of the meat to be sure it's thoroughly cooked. I love my Bradley Smoker and use it weekly, but I find that I have to rely on a meat thermometer more than the temp of the smoker/oven. Likewise, a lot of the recipes on the Bradley site call for a specific amount of time for the smoke. I've found those guidelines vary widely and some of their recipes call for way too much smoke and others not enough. So like any slow/smoke cookery it takes experimentation.

My first Bradley unit was a floor demo and never worked. The second unit heating element broke after two weeks. But on the very bright side, I found Bradley's customer service fantastic and prompt and they didn't charge me freight on parts. I went direct to them and skirted around the sporting goods store where I bought the unit.

[rob1234]

Thanks, I'll be contacting Bradley on Monday for service. Right now it's staying around 146 degrees (set to max temp) with the beans in it.