Do you think a huge ham hock that has been out at room temp (60 degrees average) defrosting is still safe to braise with...two days out of fr

It was well frozen. I put it in a cupboard and then forgot about it. I'm making jambalaya...it will bake in the oven for 45 minutes .

Naomi
  • Posted by: Naomi
  • August 2, 2015
  • 4316 views
  • 6 Comments

6 Comments

sonya
sonya August 10, 2015
My guess would be no; I'm not a food scientist, but I've read over and over again that 2 hours at room temperature is the maximum safety time where the level of bacteria that breeds is enough to make you sick. Your call though...
 
boulangere
boulangere August 2, 2015
Dr. B. is spot on. This question comes back again and again. Ham hocks are cheap. Food-born illnesses are not. Not all microorganisms can be either cooked or frozen to death.
 
702551
702551 August 2, 2015
Normally I'm one of those people who think Americans toss out too much food because they're germ phobic. This scenario is different.

Even if this were a smoked ham hock, I'm not sure if I'd try to use this.

In the future, don't stick defrosting items in places that aren't visible.

Write this off as a lesson learned and move on with your life.
 
drbabs
drbabs August 2, 2015
Some version of this question gets asked regularly, and the answer is always "if in doubt, throw it out." I know it hurts, but I would not use that. (Have you ever had food poisoning? Not fun.) Here are the previous questions:
https://food52.com/hotline/search?q=if+in+doubt%2C+throw+it+out
 
scruz
scruz August 2, 2015
i wouldn't. two days out of freezer means danger at room temp.
 
cee
cee August 2, 2015
I'd cook and eat it. People have become too germ phobic in recent years.
 
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