🔥 This episode is sponsored by Harder Charcoal & Exhibit Supply! 🔥

Do you wash your meat before cooking it? And what exactly does “washing” meat even mean?

On this episode of the Black Smoke Barbecue Podcast, Brandon, Charlie, Tee and Alton jump into one of the most persistent—and controversial—conversations in the kitchen: Should you wash or rinse meat before cooking?

We're talking chicken, pork chops, ribs, lamb, ground beef and even oxtails. The crew breaks down the difference between rinsing away bone dust or other particles and trying to “clean” meat of bacteria. We also get into vinegar and citrus washes, cross-contamination around the kitchen, faucet aerators, restaurant practices, ground-meat safety and cooking temperatures.

And yes… somehow we eventually get to people washing chicken with dish soap. 😂

Where do you stand?

Do you wash your meat—or take it straight from the package to prep?

Drop your answer in the comments. We already know this one is going to be interesting. 👀🔥

Subscribe to Black Smoke Media for more conversations about BBQ, food, culture and the people behind it.

0:00 Should You Wash Your Meat? | News Report

0:37 Welcome to Black Smoke Barbecue

1:51 The Great Meat-Washing Debate Begins

3:34 What Does “Washing Meat” Actually Mean?

4:41 Water, Vinegar, Citrus… and SOAP?!

6:03 Bone Dust on Pork Chops

7:45 Cleaning Chicken vs. “Cleaning” Bacteria

8:43 Bone Fragments on Lamb

9:24 Charlie Used to Rinse Ground Beef?!

12:33 Alton Joins the Meat-Washing Debate

13:42 How Rinsing Chicken Can Spread Bacteria

14:19 Charlie's Chicken-Tub Method

16:04 How Your Faucet Aerator Spreads Water

18:16 Cross-Contamination Around the Kitchen

20:16 Cleaning and Disinfecting Your Kitchen

23:06 Vinegar & Lime: Does It Make Meat Taste Better?

24:46 The “Raw Dogged” Chicken Challenge

25:06 Does Washing Oxtails Change the Flavor?

26:38 Are Vegetables More Dangerous?

29:24 Why Ground Meat Requires Extra Care

30:18 Would You Eat a Medium Burger?

31:47 Pork Chops Don't Have to Be Sawdust

32:41 When Meat Smells Wrong, Don't Cook It

33:33 Cooking Temperatures: It's Not Just 165°F

35:10 Final Food-Safety Advice

36:04 Please Don't Wash Chicken With Dish Soap

36:50 Black Smoke Barbecue | Closing

#BlackSmokeBarbecue #BBQ #FoodSafety #Barbecue #Cooking

Harder Charcoal – The premium fuel for serious pitmasters. Whether you’re smoking low and slow or grilling hot and fast, Harder XL Briquets and Lump Charcoal deliver clean, consistent heat with that authentic wood-fired flavor.

👉 Use code BLACKSMOKE at checkout for a discount on your order!

🌐 https://www.hardercharcoal.com

Exhibit Supply – Trusted by food vendors, BBQ teams, and event pros nationwide. From heavy-duty canopies to custom food tents, Exhibit Supply keeps your setup looking sharp and built to last.

🌐 https://www.exhibitsupply.com

👉🏽 Before you do anything else — check out the site below!🎙️ The Black Smoke Barbecue Podcast on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/BlackSmokeBarbecue

📲 Connect With Us

Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/blacksmokebarbecue/

TikTok | https://www.tiktok.com/@blacksmokebarbecue

Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/blacksmokebarbecue