Can I use this resistor to safely discharge this capacitor?
You do need a power resistor, but anything above about a 1-2W rating would be sufficient for this application. 

Look at the curve provided here: 


It's important that you use a resistor designed to support considerable power dissipation, and a wire wound is best. For example a wire wound resistor is ideal when compared to the smaller metal oxide resistors which may be laser trimmed and have a small dissipation area. Power resistors can usually absorb enormous short term power abuse, typically 100:1 or more of their average/continuous power rating.  

You can get some understanding of the capability of power resistors by looking at datasheets such as this Vishay wirewound resistor.
You'll notice here that the 'fusing limit' of the resistor is at up to 120 W power rating, and still takes many hundreds of milliseconds to fuse.