Avoiding food poisoning

[Altissimus]

Hey,

So I recently purchased a 57cm one-touch premium and have enjoyed using it the last couple of evenings.  But I'm paranoid about giving my family/friends/guest food poisoning due to technique or insufficient cleaning.  I'm an experienced cook that knows about general meat sanitation, but I'm unsure about some elements of barbecuing safety.  Specifically:

Cleaning - I have a wire brush I use to clean the grill. I understand that you can kill bacteria by heating the grill hot enough before using it to cook, and using the wire brush to clean the grill.  What temperature is necessary to ensure this approach is safe?  Does bacteria remain on the brush?  Can you rely exclusively on this method for sanitation between cooks, over a period of numerous meals on different days?  Is there more to this process I need to understand?

I would like to avoid having to soap-and-water clean the grill where it's safe to do so, as this would significantly reduce the amount of times I can barbecue due to time.

Thanks for the answers

Oh...and hi

A

[irv39]

I don't clean mine I just get to temp. and bush it, its seasoning, say if your cooking chicken at say 350 that will kill any bacteria, wouldn't worry about it, if your cooking chicken just make sure you cook until chicken reaches  170-180 I have never got sick, I just make sure what im cooking that it reaches temp.

[AJ328]

In order to sterilize something it has to hit 180 degrees. The residual heat after a cook more than accomplishes this and the preheating before a cook also accomplishes this. Anything left on the grill is too dried out and devoid of anything that's remotely attractive to microbes.

A blast of heat, a good brushing and a good rub down with oil is more than enough to keep your grates in safe shape.

[Troy]

I don't clean mine I just get to temp. and bush it, its seasoning, say if your cooking chicken at say 350 that will kill any bacteria, wouldn't worry about it, if your cooking chicken just make sure you cook until chicken reaches  170-180 I have never got sick, I just make sure what im cooking that it reaches temp.

What he said! Except the chicken part. 165 is chicken temp.

[Altissimus]

Thanks guys

[MINIgrillin]

Altissimus, you bring up a good point and it's some thing everyone should always have in the back of their mind. I was also very concerned about this and I'm still questioning the large amount of greasy goop on my grill brush. But I just got a new one.

As for bacteria...find a good food temp chart and get a good digital thermometer. I have a thermapen and they come highly recommended here. They are expensive but will make you look pike a grillin pimp and boost your backyard cred. . The alternative is sending yourself, friends, and family to the ER, looking like an asshole, and you'll be cooking for yourself for the next year and still questioning the wisdom of that.

So the moral of the story is: the price of a thermapen is less than the price of hospital bills and lawsuits.

Also, get a GOOD grill brush. It matters. If metal bristles are coming off your brush throw that thing away! You don't want to feed your loved ones needles do you?

[5280Jeff]

As for bacteria...find a good food temp chart and get a good digital thermometer.

Agreed, this will give you peace of mind but will also make your food better. I worried about food poisoning too and always ended up over cooking the meat I had on just to be safe. After getting a thermometer no more worries and everything is always tender and juicy. 

[1buckie]

I'm more concerned with what happens outside the grill.........

A lot of it is common sense stuff.....wash hands often, don't use same utensils for both raw & cooked, clear prep areas with some type of disinfectant, etc.

Weak chlorine bleach solution (like 6~7%) is a good idea for cutting boards, as even soap may miss something sometime.........

I'll wash my hands quite a bit or if it's in a difficult situation to do so, at very least use clean water & a dry, clean towel........

Only time I remember anybody getting "growly stomach" or anything was in the early 90's & it turned out my buddy wasn't rinsing the dishes well enough.....soap will work well as a digestive aid.....a little too well, in fact.........

If you have a healthy concern about on cooker grates & accessories, maybe do what the big boys do.....
The people who run large offsets & the like will use a weed burner quite often, then scrape down good, maybe another quick torching & oil up................

[Idahawk]

It's no different then cooking in your oven , both self clean at high temps , like was said keep the process clean, the grill isn't a worry with routine cleaning .