Duck browning safety issue re: bacteria/toxins

[dissolawyer]

I am cooking a slow cooked duck ragu. The recipe says to brown each piece of duck and then set them aside while you cook the vegetables - for an hour - and then reduce wine and tomato sauce - around another 30 minutes!! Then you add back in the pieces and simmer it for several hours. Is this safe, or will my guests get food poisoning?

[cowboyardee]

90 minutes isn't long enough to present any significant risk from bacterial growth, even if your kitchen was 95 degrees. Don't sweat it.

[Becca Porter]

Just refrigerate the duck pieces after you brown them, if it gives you peace of mind. Since you simmer them for several hours, they shouldn't have to be room temperature. You really are just rendering the fat from the skin to cook the the veg in.

[dissolawyer]

Thanks - but it's too late - I've already cooked the sauce! LOL! It did occur to me that I should refrigerate the pieces, but not until an hour had passed. So I guess what I'm really asking is whether the final product, cooked exactly according to the recipe, is safe to eat.

[jcattles]

Unless your kitchen is super hot, it'll be completely fine to eat. The duck will cook at a high enough temperature for a long enough time that it will kill any bacteria. Pour yourself a glass of wine & enjoy your guests & dinner.

[dissolawyer]

Thank you.