# Smoker Sanitation after Smoking Chickens



## rabbithutch (Mar 26, 2018)

Howdy, All!

Been a while since I was last here in the smoke.  Life kinda intervened on me.

When I prepare chicken dishes in the kitchen, I am very careful in handling raw chicken and the utensils - including my hands - that touch it.  I clean every vessel, utensil, sink, counter surface etc with Clorox as a part of clean up.  

I have been thinking about smoking some spatchcocked birds.  I usually try to run my side firebox between 225 - 250°.  I doubt that is hot enough to kill any bacteria; so the question arises, how do you experts go about keeping your smoker grates safe?  Would spraying with Clorox be OK or would it likely damage the grates (reg. expanded metal)?  I'm thinking that I might put the birds on baking racks and place the racks in baking pans and place pans, racks, birds and all on the smoker grates but was wondering if it would be sufficient to treat the racks and pans with Clorox and leave the smoker be?

Thanks in advance for your kind advice.

rh


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## pops6927 (Mar 26, 2018)

Do you clean your racks?  As in washing them in the sink or outdoors in a large container?  I don't have any worry in my smokehouse as I hang my meats by hooks, but I do have to clean and sanitize my grill grates, even if I burn them off at 500° when I tear apart my grill to clean it out.  They are 3 separate sink-sized grates that I can easily clean and sanitize.  If they are large, possibly get a water trough: https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/s...i_uASidz3MNlxtCGhKlhP1M-cidz2qskaAmq-EALw_wcB


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## bregent (Mar 27, 2018)

rabbithutch said:


> I usually try to run my side firebox between 225 - 250°.  I doubt that is hot enough to kill any bacteria; so the question arises, how do you experts go about keeping your smoker grates safe?
> 
> rh



225-250 pit temp?  That's more than enough to kill all bacteria - most is destroyed at 120F. Not that cleaning and sanitizing is a bad thing, but I wouldn't use bleach. After smoking I just crank up the temp and scrub the grates with a wire brush.


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## SmokinAl (Mar 27, 2018)

If you happen to have a weed burner, it will sterilize the grates in a few seconds.
When I start the fire in my offset I use a weed burner, and give it a quick pass over the grates.
But as said above 225-250 will kill any bacteria.
Al


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## gmc2003 (Mar 27, 2018)

I usually do chicken on the Kettle and not in my WSM so once the chicken is done I let the kettle fly and burn it off. If by chance I do smoke chicken in the WSM. I take the grates out and put them into the Kettle and let it fly on high heat. The only grate I wash is the one I use that's dedicated for cold smoking.

Chris.


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## bluewhisper (Mar 27, 2018)

I usually put the chicken on a sheet of foil, and it never touches the grate.



> If you happen to have a weed burner, it will sterilize the grates in a few seconds.



Now you've gone and done it, you've given me an excuse to buy one. I was holding out so well until you said that.


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## rabbithutch (Mar 27, 2018)

Thanks for the responses.

I always brush my grates with a wire brush before firing up my Old Country and brush them with Canola oil with a small mop.  I only wash them on the annual thorough cleaning of the smoker.  I use a small steam cleaner when I do that then I oil and do an empty heat with the weed burner.  I hadn't thought about using the weed burner to hit the grates before brushing and mopping.  I use it to light a small bed of charcoal that starts my wood burn; so hitting the grates with it will be easy to do.

Does anyone have an opinion about whether foil or pans or pans and racks would affect the smoke effect?  I don't see that it would but I'm new enough at this side burner that I still have lots to learn.

Thanks again!


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## Rings Я Us (Mar 27, 2018)




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## Rings Я Us (Mar 27, 2018)

Smoker sanitation after 12 beers at my house.


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## Rings Я Us (Mar 27, 2018)




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## motocrash (Mar 27, 2018)




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## chef jimmyj (Apr 10, 2018)

If 225-250 did not kill bacteria, nothing you smoke would be safe to eat. See chart below...Chicken cooked to Med/well, 145, is safe to eat allowed to sit at an IT of 145 for 8.5 minutes. While I like my dark meat at 170, I only cook Breast meat to 150 degrees F. Safe, Super tender and juicy, every time...JJ


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