Any way to save an undercooked roast, cooked in crock pot and then refrigerated overnight?
I cooked a small (grassfed beef) round roast in my tiny 1.5 quart crock pot last night. Put it in after work, probably around 7, on high. Checked it at midnight, and in my tired state I evidently didn't check well enough. It seemed done, so I put the liner containing the roast and its accompanying veggies in the refrigerator and went to bed. (I know you aren't supposed to refrigerate things in the liner---but it's only a 1.5 quart container, so it should cool quickly, right?) Went to have some roast for lunch today and discovered it is still quite pink inside. Not tender enough, either. I don't know what I was thinking not cutting into it last night. Can this roast be finished on the stove, or must I chuck the whole thing out?? I was hoping to get a couple meals out of this, so I'm quite chagrined.
13 Comments
Sorry about that, old habit. It's shorthand for "Original Poster".
And I guess I used IMHO above too ("In My Humble Opinion").
ChezHenry, respectfully, this is a discussion, not an argument, the purpose of which is for us all to learn.
Agreed one should *always* err on the side of caution when it comes to food safety. That does not mean USDA guidelines must be blindly followed verbatim if one understands the reasoning and science behind them.
Agreed it's not wise to put containers of hot food directly in the refrigerator but the OP already knows that and, considering the circumstances, what choice did she have? In doing so, she didn't endanger the roast, only the food already under refrigeration. The cooker insert cooled (slightly) more quickly than if she had "followed the rules". Next time I'd recommend transferring the contents to a not-scalding-hot container to reduce the thermal mass but that's about it.
Finally, the vegetables spent 5 hours in a cooker set on "high" and were undoubtedly well pasteurized. Mushy, but safe. To put it another way, except for the center of the hunk o' meat, we're just discussing common everyday leftovers. I've explained why the situation is perfectly safe. If you think my reasoning is wrong, please explain...
The cool down here is the major issue, it probably took 6-8 hours for this to get down to a temperature below the danger zone, an enormous amount of time for bacteria to take hold.
I concur that you should toss this, and not use it. Will you get sick? Who knows, maybe not. Can you get sick because of this handling? Definitely. And that's where everyone with professional knowledge on this board should side with-you shouldn't risk your health and those you're serving (I assume a roast is for more than 1 person and/or more than 1 meal).
A partially cooked roast (the cut, not the technique) does not present any danger. Here's why: Bacteria present on the raw meat are only on the outside surface, there's no way for them to get deep inside. Pasteurization of the exterior surfaces happens pretty quickly during cooking, no matter what method is used. It's the same reason why it's safe to serve a rare steak. Any bacteria picked up during cooling / refrigeration will be likewise dispatched during the second cooking cycle.
Pierino's specification of 130F is correct IMHO despite the fact the USDA says 145 minimum. No chef could hold a job if he cooked everything to USDA specs. To be clear, though, you need to understand the issues before bending the rules.
Poultry is an entirely different matter as is ground meat.
http://www.fsis.usda.gov/OA/news/2003/hotline_holiday.htm
This link above clearly mentions partial cooking.
I'm sorry you have to toss your roast. :(
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I concur. Or back in the slow cooker.