Sanitizing tong questions?

A

Aceman

Knows what a fatty is.
Joined
Jul 23, 2014
Messages
148
Reaction score
85
Points
0
Location
NEPA
I use marinades and rubs on most meats. A lot of times I'll use my thongs (hehe!) to get the chicken out of the bag. I immediately toss the bag and wash, not rinse, the thongs clean. When it comes time to flip the chicken though, the up side is still raw and still has the marinade/rub that's uncooked. I go back in and wash them AGAIN! Am I overdoing it? My buddy worked in a fast pace restaurant and I just can't see them washing tools every time he flips a burger, chicken or steak. Even on these TV shows like in Guys back yard, I don't see them washing any tools either. Of course, that can just be edited out.

Any advice?
 
You can never "over do it" when it comes to removing potential pathogens from your cooking utensils that may increase the risk microbial contamination. Keep things "clean" according to what makes you comfortable.

I'm a Microbiologist and I use clean tongs when flipping the chicken and never use those same tongs to flip other meats during the same cook to avoid cross-contamination. This practice only concerns poultry and not so much for pork and beef. Perhaps overkill but I never want my guests to get food poisoning from my goods.

You are correct in the fact that most restaurant cooks aren't swapping out their tongs and that might demonstrate the cooking process does eliminate or significantly reduce the bioburden and make it safe to consume.
 
I have always placed my tongs over the coals when I flip. No way am i trudging inside to wash my tongs on every flip. I have to assume the heat will kill any bacteria pretty quickly. And no one has ever gotten sick....so theres that :)
 
i use separate tongs for different meats and once they are getting close to ready i will wash them with soap and water before pulling or grab a clean pair when pulling off the cooker. in my mind once they are close to final temp most of the bacteria is gone but what do i know??? i have also done the tongs over coals like Jrogers but damn they get hot quick.
 
HawgHeaven said:
Nothing worse than a dirty thong... :mrgreen:

I wash in between flips, and use Clorox wipes. Lots of them.
Click to expand...

don't be too concerned...i always wash my thongs before reusing them. :pound:
 
I never worried too much about it until I got food poisoning at a BBQ Ribfest I went to. Now, after I first put all the meat on, I'll flip once then go in and wash my utensils. I don't worry about beef so much, but definitely chicken. I also sanitize the buhjeezus outta my countertops and dishes that carried the raw meat to the grill. That's also why I love the foil pans. I don't care how much they cost, it's great having the peace of mind that all the raw mess goes into the garbage.
 
I tend to wash after the first flip and then that's it for me
 
JohnnyB said:
I never worried too much about it until I got food poisoning at a BBQ Ribfest I went to. Now, after I first put all the meat on, I'll flip once then go in and wash my utensils. I don't worry about beef so much, but definitely chicken. I also sanitize the buhjeezus outta my countertops and dishes that carried the raw meat to the grill. That's also why I love the foil pans. I don't care how much they cost, it's great having the peace of mind that all the raw mess goes into the garbage.
Click to expand...

I was stunned at the cost difference in the foil pans from the grocery store to sams club. 20 cents each
 
You could grab some quaternary sanitizing tablets and keep a small container for utensils and wipe clothes or even just a correct ratio of bleach to water.
 
Jrogers84 said:
I have always placed my tongs over the coals when I flip. No way am i trudging inside to wash my tongs on every flip. I have to assume the heat will kill any bacteria pretty quickly. And no one has ever gotten sick....so theres that :)
Click to expand...


This is a very effective way to "sterilize" your tongs and possibly your thongs. :thumb:
 
Any of you sous vide? Kinda low temps with no brine to counter microbial growth.
 
Jrogers84 said:
I was stunned at the cost difference in the foil pans from the grocery store to sams club. 20 cents each
Click to expand...
Yep. The small ones aren't even worth counting. Oddly enough however, the big ones are more expensive per unit. Two small ones are cheaper than one big one. I guess they see they bigger ones as more convenient.
 
TedW said:
Any of you sous vide? Kinda low temps with no brine to counter microbial growth.
Click to expand...
Remember that safe cooking temperatures are actually a function of time at a certain temperature. With sous vide you usually wind up holding at a lower temperature for a much longer time than you would for (near) instant kill temps you aim for with other cooking methods. This is still within reason though, I believe its under 130 degrees that isn't recommended for extended cook times.
 
I think 140 is just outta the published Danger Zone, so yeah, a long time at 140 would take the starch outta a germ's sails
 
I was just googling-
Thermization involves heating milk at temperatures of around 145–149 °F for 15 seconds, while pasteurization heats milk at 160 °F for 15 seconds or at 145 °F for 30 minutes.

US gov doesn't like Thermization.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

S
Favorite rubs and marinades
Replies
5
Views
386
IamMadMan
IamMadMan
cayenne
So, what's with all the thin black rubber gloves? Everyone on YouTube videos wearing black gloves on BBQ channels...?
2
Replies
30
Views
2K
JCBII
J
V
Kingsford Cumin Chili Briquettes w/Mesquite II
Replies
4
Views
1K
Newglide
N
N
Cedar-smoked salmon last night. Not bad. Questions
Replies
9
Views
545
Big George's BBQ
Big George's BBQ
PitRow
I’m a total failure
Replies
5
Views
540
Mikhail
Mikhail
Back
Top