# Are coat hangers safe for meat hooks?



## reeko

I see people using coat hangers to pierce meet to hang in the smoker.
Just wanted to know if this is safe. It seems like there is a coating on the hangers (some type of paint or plastic).


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## polarlys

Not sure about a coating so I would not use them to pierce through the meat.  Tie the meat with butchers string and then hang it from a coat hanger hook.  That would be OK.  I would not use anything other than stainless steel to touch the meat.


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## que-ball

I wouldn't do it personally, myself.  The cheap metal coathangers do have a paint coating on them.  You can buy metal skewers too cheaply to take that risk.


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## geek with fire

Not saying this would pass the USDA's suggestions, but if it were me, I'd lay them on some hot coals for, I dunno, an hour. Anything too bad for you will be gone.  But I agree with the post above, skewers are cheap.


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## mmmsmoke

I wouldn't trust the manufacturing guidelines/laws in the country where they are made. They can cut the alloy with a few diff. metals that are EXTREMELY toxic in order to make them less expensive and still plenty pliable.

I would err on the side of caution here.


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## reeko

OK,
I had seen posts on this site using coat hangers so wanted to know if they were OK in a pinch.
I will instead get some skewers or some other hangers.
Thanks


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## smokeguy

Lead is plenty cheap and plenty pliable for example....


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## coyote

If you are looking for a way to make cheap hooks. go to a welding store and buy a couple DZ SS welding rods are ask a welder for some. just use a hammer and tap the flux off the rod and use some steel wool to bring the rods to bare metal.
so many folks have got sick and even died from using unknown metal and even wood to cook with. galvenized metal is a no no also.


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## mballi3011

I saw the post that your speaking about I think and it was Pete (pit4brains) and they looked to me to be all metal hanger and not coated with anything. I don't think it would be very smart to use coated hangers to smoke with.


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## pit 4 brains

Yup, it was me... can't tell you how many marshmallows I've roasted on a coat hanger before. They're tough to cut with side cutters so I imagine they're steel. I just wiped them off and went to town. I do like the skewer and the butcher string idea though.


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## pineywoods

I know at least one member that has taken a decent fork and bent it to use as a meat hanger. Personally I figured the wife would kill me if I started bending up her big serving forks so I just ordered some bacon hangers


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## got14u

I wouldn't use them unless in a pickle...but with that being said you are cooking at VERY low temps when doing sausage. The heat produced would not make the metal release anything like fums or anything...Plus we all have eaten marshmallows from them and they were WAY hotter then if they were in our smokers.


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## reeko

I have wooden dowels for hanging sausage. Works great.
I was more looking for a way to hang my Canadian Bacon or Buckboard Bacon.

If I hang them I can probably fit more.
I think I will tie them and use the string to hang them from my dowels.

Thanks.


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