re: Pot of red beans on stove overnight

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What about the notion that there is very little chance that such bacteria could get into a closed pot enough to cause a problem during the timeframe I'm dealing with here?

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We’re talking about microbes here. They are very good at getting themselves wherever they want to be.

Just to play Devil’s advocate, let’s say there was some bacteria present on the underside lid of your pot. You shut off your fire and covered it, the steam condensed into water droplets and they fall back into your beans carrying the bacteria with them. The beans are now 110* which is like a jacuzzi at the playboy mansion for Bacteria.

Your kid’s immune system is a little suppressed this week cause it’s fighting off the staphylococcus germs from their classmate sneezing on them.

Maybe they just get a little diarrhea and you’ll say “oh... tommy’s got a stomach bug”

Or in the case of Ecoli, maybe they become a paraplegic

Or in the case of botchulism, maybe something worse

Look, we’re all just a few generations from people who grew up during the Great Depression, so the notion of wasting food being a mortal sin has been beaten into all of us. Like I said before, there’s a good chance you’ll be fine. But there’s a small chance you won’t. All depends on your risk tolerance. I’m probably more paranoid than I need to be because of my background. Hell, when I went to culinary school they showed us a video of a poor bastard who was a cook at a diner. He stored sautéed onions on the side of his griddle not under refrigeration. They ended up being contaminated with botchulism and he killed like 30 people.

EAT THE FRICKIN BEANS.

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EAT THE FRICKIN BEANS.

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They're not my beans.

I've done shite like that all the time. Never had any ill effects.

I knew you would Y.A.

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We made it.

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But were you able to enjoy them knowing that you might die?

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It added sort of a rush that made it extra enjoyable. They were really tasty, to boot.

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That tang wasn't the pickled pork. That was the Clostridium.

Glad y'all made it!

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I always leave the pot on the stove until morning. You should be fine.

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I do to if it is late and it needs to cool. Never had a problem.

Hell, damn pansies in here probably never rubbed some dirt on their cut to make it heal faster.

If bacterial infection sets in, just walk it off.

Only detail I'd like to see is pot type.

I'd feel a bit more comfortable if it was ceramic cast iron, for instance - that would hold heat much longer.

You are likely fine, but all of the previous replies on the "danger zone" are legit.

If the pot was covered and hot when you turned it off, pretty unlikely any microbes had a sex party overnight.

I see you added "cooked sausage" before you killed the fire...was said sausage cold? That's an added risk factor.

Key word in all of this is "risk" - you are mostly likely fine regardless.