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RegForte RegForte is offline
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Default Does BBQ sauce really go bad (if refrigerated)?

wrote:

> I've got some BBQ sauce I made a few months ago. Do you think it can
> go bad? It is a mustard based sauce from a "Smoke and Spice" recipe.
> The book says it will keep 2 weeks refrigerated. Now, I know that two
> weeks is conservative. But, what about say 4 months?
>
> I've tasted it and it tastes the same as ever to me, except maybe more
> vinegary.
>
> Let me know if you think it will kill me. I have a bunch left over
> and don't want to waste it. I'm firing up my WSM for the first time
> in a long time over Memorial Day. I only have a 4 lb pork butt to
> smoke, but it is better than nothing. (I'd like to do a lot at once
> but didn't plan for it.).



I haven't seen the recipe, but most bbq sauces are very high
acid and don't contain protein. They generally won't go "bad"
in that they will develop pathogens. However, even high acid
sauces will eventually develop mold, *even* if refrigerated,
eventually. Refridgeration will slow down the mold process
considerably, which is why it's always recommended. Be careful
of reusing sauces that have been brushed on the meat where
the brush has been reintroduced back into the container. In
that case, always chuck it.

Given all that, if you don't see anything growing on the
surface you probably aren't going to end up eating any
mold.

> p.s. My wife thinks the sauce is fine, but then again she defrosts
> meat by leaving it on the counter and eats raw cookie dough with raw
> eggs in it so she isn't that worried about things going
> bad...admittedly she hasn't killed me yet, so maybe she's right!


No doubt she comes from tough stock. Got some badass
white corpuscles.

Defrosting on the counter is fine. Just don't allow it to sit
long enough such that the meat goes above 40 F. No enhanced
risk there. Raw eggs? Well, nothing wrong with rolling the
dice once in awhile of it's worth the risk. I eat steak tartare
with uncooked yolk from time to time.