Advice to all of you back yard grillers!

J

JOhnH

Touchdown! Greaser!
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Be careful what you scrape your grill with. I just threw out a couple of pounds of delicious grilled chicken after finding TWO stainless steel bristles on the cooked meat. The first one I found before putting the food in my mouth. The second one I found in my mouth while chewing a piece.

I have now thrown away all of my bristle brushes. There are alternatives out there.
 
Thank you, John!

"""An estimated 1,700 Americans went to an emergency room between 2002 and 2014 after having ingested wire bristles in grilled food, according to a study published in 2016 in the journal Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery. One in four of those with grill brush injuries had to be admitted to the hospital."""" consumer's report

My kids made me throw mine away last year...........son works for Seattle Children's Hospital, where they often see this and it is not an easy operation to extract.
 
Yeah, it’s a real thing.

I have a wooden scraper, among other things.
 
Never thought about it, but good to know. I use a wire bristle brush. I need to shop for alternatives.
 
I use soft brass bristle brushes because my grill is stainless. I've never found a bristle in any food in decades of (admittedly light) grilling. I always wipe thre grill down with paper towle coated with oil after brushing though.
 
jsstevens said:
I use soft brass bristle brushes because my grill is stainless. I've never found a bristle in any food in decades of (admittedly light) grilling. I always wipe thre grill down with paper towle coated with oil after brushing though.
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Good practice.
I found a good nylon brush at lowes. I almost didn't buy it because of the warning not to use on a hot grill. But it turns out I really like it to brush the grill before I get started. I used to brush the hot grill after cooking but I prefer to leave the grease on there to protect it from rust.
https://www.lowes.com/pd/Char-Broil-Cool-Clean-Nylon-Grill-Brush/999919550
 
"Honey, my Mother is coming over for dinner tonight"

..."Great I will go fire up the grill...better scrape it first...REALLY well!"
 
Shawn said:
"Honey, my Mother is coming over for dinner tonight"

..."Great I will go fire up the grill...better scrape it first...REALLY well!"
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:D

Sounds like Russian Culinary Roulette.
 
I’ve been a long term subscriber to wiping the hot grill down with the wad of aluminum foil. It takes off the worst of the carbonized remains, but doesn’t over do it.
 
Y’all scrape it?

Cook over a real wood fire and leave it be
 
Gas grill, turn it up high, wait until grease turns to ash, scrape with brush, nothing to hold stray bristles. Toss brush if bristles come loose as a precaution.
 
I've never really had a problem with brushes, but I -think- I would detect if loose bristles were on the grate. The current brush I use is a brass one worn down to the nibs, and mostly grease. I just use it to brush the major junk off, as cleaning the grill to the metal is counterproductive. The 'seasoning' layer is best left there, it is your best non-stick protection available. Just like with a cast iron skillet.
 
Sac Arrow said:
I've never really had a problem with brushes, but I -think- I would detect if loose bristles were on the grate. The current brush I use is a brass one worn down to the nibs, and mostly grease. I just use it to brush the major junk off, as cleaning the grill to the metal is counterproductive. The 'seasoning' layer is best left there, it is your best non-stick protection available. Just like with a cast iron skillet.
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Bear grease is best for seasoning cast iron cookware. Just a heads up.
 
Huh. I have been using a stainless brush for many years with no problems. I only brush after the grill is good and hot, so the excess grease if burned off... never have had any bristles end up anywhere they shouldn't be. I'd think I would notice if any came loose and were on the grill. And... bear grease? Uhh, thanks, but no thanks. I'll stick to cow grease, chicken grease, and the occasional coconut/olive/avocado grease, thanks.
 
DaleB said:
Huh. I have been using a stainless brush for many years with no problems. I only brush after the grill is good and hot, so the excess grease if burned off... never have had any bristles end up anywhere they shouldn't be. I'd think I would notice if any came loose and were on the grill. And... bear grease? Uhh, thanks, but no thanks. I'll stick to cow grease, chicken grease, and the occasional coconut/olive/avocado grease, thanks.
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Me too. I do not do post grill clean up anymore. It serves no purpose. I just get the charcoal going, put the grill on for a few seconds, give it a few swipes and it's good to go.
 
Sac Arrow said:
Me too. I do not do post grill clean up anymore. It serves no purpose. I just get the charcoal going, put the grill on for a few seconds, give it a few swipes and it's good to go.
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I do post- before the grill has cooled and I also do pre- after the grill has preheated. I also follow up each brushing with the solid scraper that they put on the backside of the brush.

That said, I was contemplating a switch to a coil style brush after this season anyways. The fire grate is getting a bit warped so I thought I'd replace it along with the cooking grate and the grill brush all at the same time.
 
Sac Arrow said:
Duly noted. But the HOA frowns on bear hunting in the neighborhood.
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They allow free range bears to graze in your hood? Very upscale, but somewhat hipster. ;) Around here we keep em chased off with a scattergun, else they'll scatter our garbage cans and anything else they decide to try chewing on. It’s not too bad if the fans are empty. Just gotta haul them back out of the woods. Might have to start chaining them closed, but people who have done that end up with a.) building/outbuilding damage from severe ursus frustratus hungeritis, or b.) fully destroyed garbage cans, which, in turn, are ironically their own vessels of refuse. So, a lil pop o’ birdshot now and then (cheaper than buckstopper) keeps the largest varmints off the trash heap welfare, as it were. Deer, though... ugh. Too stoopid to stay gone for long. And ruttin’ season makes me even dumber than normal. Yet, I digress, but I shan’t digest, for at the taste of venison I fifth protest. That’s just me.
 
Lachlan said:
They allow free range bears to graze in your hood? Very upscale, but somewhat hipster. ;) Around here we keep em chased off with a scattergun, else they'll scatter our garbage cans and anything else they decide to try chewing on. It’s not too bad if the fans are empty. Just gotta haul them back out of the woods. Might have to start chaining them closed, but people who have done that end up with a.) building/outbuilding damage from severe ursus frustratus hungeritis, or b.) fully destroyed garbage cans, which, in turn, are ironically their own vessels of refuse. So, a lil pop o’ birdshot now and then (cheaper than buckstopper) keeps the largest varmints off the trash heap welfare, as it were. Deer, though... ugh. Too stoopid to stay gone for long. And ruttin’ season makes me even dumber than normal. Yet, I digress, but I shan’t digest, for at the taste of venison I fifth protest. That’s just me.
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Well they allow it, but, it's just that the nearest bear is probably eighty miles away in the foothills.

That said, mountain lions and bears are driven further in to suburban 'hoods in the valley just due to extreme overpopulation.
 
Sac Arrow said:
Well they allow it, but, it's just that the nearest bear is probably eighty miles away in the foothills.

That said, mountain lions and bears are driven further in to suburban 'hoods in the valley just due to extreme overpopulation.
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Smart bears. I’ve heard that Cali is loaded with cougars.
 
Sac Arrow said:
Don't be a hater. I'll take what I can get these days.
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There’s a reason they’re considered part of “the wild life.” Wait, isn’t that supposed to be one word?


I lightly brush my ceramic grates just before a quick wipe with some olive oil, or just before slapping my meat on there. I’ve been skipping the post-cook scrubdown for a while now.
 
JOhnH said:
Be careful what you scrape your grill with. I just threw out a couple of pounds of delicious grilled chicken after finding TWO stainless steel bristles on the cooked meat. The first one I found before putting the food in my mouth. The second one I found in my mouth while chewing a piece.

I have now thrown away all of my bristle brushes. There are alternatives out there.
Click to expand...

I always use natural or nylon bristle brushes. They also preserve grills that are coated with ceramic or other non-stick materials. The only down side is that you can't clean the grill while it's hot, which is really no big deal.

Rich
 
What about these kinds of stainless steel scrubbing pads?
61K4ISc0kZL._SX342_.jpg
Thanks!
 
G-Man said:
What about these kinds of stainless steel scrubbing pads?
View attachment 78760
Thanks!
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I think the main problem is with the bristle type. A single bristle can break off, end up on the grill, get stuck inside a burger, and then punch holes in your gut if you ingest it.

I wouldn't think that pad style would have that sort of problem.
 
Sac Arrow said:
I've never really had a problem with brushes, but I -think- I would detect if loose bristles were on the grate. The current brush I use is a brass one worn down to the nibs, and mostly grease. I just use it to brush the major junk off, as cleaning the grill to the metal is counterproductive. The 'seasoning' layer is best left there, it is your best non-stick protection available. Just like with a cast iron skillet.
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I have two of the Weber stainless steel grilling baskets. I let them turn into an ugly brown color after several uses, because that seasoning layer makes them nonstick.
 
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