Is this venison still safe to eat?

[JSK76]

I took a small vacuum seal package of frozen venison out of the freezer last night, to make some jerky with today and when I got up this morning it was already thawed and the meat was 65 degrees. I have no idea how long it was at 65, it sat out for a total of 11 hours.

Do you think I should still use it for jerky? I was thinking being in a vacuum sealed bag might help some.

[Scoot]

I leave meat out for 8-10 hours to thaw all the time and I've never had a problem. I'd guess you'll be just fine using it. I sure would...

[96trigger]

I'm not telling you what to do, but I would not worry about it. As long as the meet still felt cool to me, I would know that it wasn't at 65 for very long.

[JSK76]

It thawed so fast is because it was already cut into 1/4 thick, strips and there wasn't much more then a pound of meat and it was laid flat in the bag. If it had been a bigger chunk I would worry, because the center would still be cold.

[mrklean]

i wouldnt think it would be bad yet, but always think safety first if you dont think its safe dont eat it

[DonBo]

I wouldn't worry about it one bit. Takes more than a few hours at that temp to make meat go bad.

[bloc004]

http://www.wildeats.com/journal/?p=38

Here is a good article. You should be fine, as your meat probably wasnt above 40 degrees for more than 6 hours.

[Big-Al]

I would eat it.

[JSK76]

It's now in the brine, I will smoke it tomorrow.

[sticknstring]

Better send it to me first to make sure it's safe to consume. I'll have to sample the entire batch to leave no doubt however.

[ChompChomp_YANK]

When its done drop some off at a friends house then wait a week and call him, If he didnt get sick your good to go!!

[CANOPY SAM]

With only a pound to start with there won't be much left for sharing once it's jerky. The meat will be fine. Put plenty of salt and pepper on it, make sure it's thoroughly cooked/smoked, and you'll never know the difference.

Either that or give it to your "favorite" neighbor!

[HandySpence]

I did the same thing with a new kind of jerky mix, got sick as a dog. However I think the reason I got sick was because I didnt let the cure set with it more than 10 minutes before it was put into the dehydrator.