Smoker "grates" Contamination

[triplebq]

Neighbor "a" told me him , his wife and daughter all got sick from cooking burgers on his smoker. I asked him if he cleaned the grates btw smokes? He told me no , that it wasn't an item due to him cooking at 275 degrees. I told him he was wrong and that grates if not used 24/7 should be cleaned before starting a new smoke or even cooking a hamburger .

Neighbor "b" told him he just got some funky meat and the smoker was not at fault.

I hollar B/S on this and that the grates get contamination for lack of use if you leave any protein or fat from a previous cook espc pork of chicken . They must be burned off or cleaned before the next use .

Who is right and who is wrong . No one is mad just want the facts
.
Thanks for the space

Buddy

 

[dangermouse]

I would think that charred meat and fat bits left at room temperature in a dark smoker would be an excellent breeding ground for bacteria. On a grill, I would also think that high temperatures and direct flame would destroy said bacteria. On a smoker at 250* or so, I wouldn't be surprised if there is some kind of bacteria that could survive that, but I don't know for sure.

 

[gunner69]

I would think that nothing would live at temps of 275.. but there is definitely a major EWWWWW factor on not cleaning your grates after every cook.

 

[smokin relaxin steve]

I clean my grates the day after each smoke (dont mess w/ the actual haul)... but it may have been the meat... I'd say flip a coin LOL... either way he should at least give the grates a cleaning every once in a while especially if he isnt smoking often...

 

[schmoke]

I really think cleaning the grates is an important step. If you don't clean them, then you'll always wonder. If you do clean them, (which doesn't take that long), then you eliminate that from the equation. I say clean 'em.

 

[timtimmay]

I'm assuming when he cooked the hamburgers, he had the smoker at grilling temps, which would kill any bacteria.

Also when we clean our grates, we don't sanitize them, we just clean them.

I'd say bad mead or inadequately cooked.

 

[rdknb]

I would have to say meat too. Although I do clean my grate after every smoke, the chance of something surviving the cooking would be slim imho

 

[mballi3011]

I'm going with the meat on this one too. I would also think that the heat is high enough when cooking/grilling would be high enough to kill any bacteria. Now I always run my grill really hot first and then brush off any left over meat peices that might have been left over first and then grill my food.

 

[got14u]

If it was his grill I would say it was the meat as well. That temp seems low for a "grill". I have never grilled burgers at 275 more like 475 or so. but heck it could be either or......lifes hard for some people

edit: I would clean all my grates in a smoker not necessarily on my grill. I just crank that bad boy up on high for 10 minutes or so then scrub with the old metal brush or a onion cut in half.

 

[northern greenhorn]

It's my understanding that most harmful bacteria can't survive past 140-150*, but I don't know why you wouldn't want to clean your grates, just to be safe. On my grill i crank up the heat for 10-15 minutes before use and clean the grates w/ my grill brush, and I wash them at least once a month.

 

[autoferret]

How do you guys clean the grates? I just take my wire bush over them before/after a smoke.

 

[caveman]

Good Post. Okay, some of us know I have the Char Griller, 2121 model, & my grills need to be seasoned on occasion. I don't always clean my grill after a smoke but I make sure to start a fire in the grill area during my down time & re-season my grills. I think the temperature was high enough to kill any living bacteria but did neighbor "A" actually get his meat past the 140 degree mark in a timely manner? Some people have been told & then live by leaving their meat out on the counter for hours before actually putting it on the grill. If that was the case, then I would blame the product as opposed to the cooking of the product itself. Since whatever was left on the grill was probably destroyed at 275 degrees of direct heat, then we must think that the problem lies with the meat or the cooking therein. And I am leaning towards the meat if the cook is competent. Can we give him / her the benefit of doubt?

 

[vince]

When you say clean, the only thing I do is start the smoker and when it heats up, I use a brush on it. Never really clean, it was the meat not the smoker if the temp was 250.

 

[hell fire grill]

Before refidgeration became the standard for preserving meat and other food products some people potted thier meat, meaning submeged it in rendered animal fat. Generaly pork fat (lard) or beef fat. They could keep large cuts of raw meat for months at a time using this method. So I doubt the illness was caused by fat or food particals on the grate. It was most likely a problem with the meat or the prep area. If hes too lazy to brush his grates when hes done cooking Id hate to see what his kitchen looks like. And thats all Im gonna say about that.

 

[meateater]

I brush and floss between meals.

 

[wingman]

There is a rule we have heard that the meat must come up to 140 degrees within 4 hours to avoid bacteria colonizing. When a grill comes up to 230+ in around 15 minutes, it doesn't sound like bacteria will survive period. I say bad meat as others have.

Having said that I brush my grates after each smoke and let the smoker run at temp for another 10 minutes. The next smoke I wipe down my grates with paper towels. I don't want dirty grill funk on my smoked meats.

 

[pops6927]

All sorts of ways to contaminate. Did he thaw the meat? On the counter? Warm Juices? Dirty hands making the patties. Unclean plate to transport. Dirty utensils. How long out of refrigeration. Dirty probe thermometer. Removed from smoker, back on unclean plate with dirty utensils placed on unwashed counter surface. And so on and so on...

 

[smokingohiobutcher]

I agree with Pops...the general public is soo quick to blame the meat because its much easier to do than taking responsibilty for themselves.

" what me? not me!!"

If everyone would examine their preparition procedures and ask themselves, "would this pass a health inspection?" I think more than a few people would be suprised
Are your cutting boards sanitized once every 4 hours or between changing to a different type of meat. Is your prep equipment kept below 54* all the time. Is that handle on your sausage stuffer really clean???Did you sanitize it after you cranked it down with that dirty glove??

Just a few things to think about before blaming that nasty meat for making you sick.
Have a nice day! BAZINGA
SOB

 

[triplebq]

cooking burgers on his smoker. I asked him if he cleaned the grates btw smokes? He told me no , that it wasn't an item due to him cooking at 275 degrees. [/quote]
He cooked them on his smoker , indirect heat , not a grille and no direct heat . He has since cleaned his grates and his smoker . Interesting responses . In truth it could have been anything but we need to be careful not to hurt our own by improper cooking methods . This guy is a semi pro cook compared to me .

 

[chefrob]

like pops said there are too many things that could cause the illness that have not been addressed.