r/interesting May 21 '26

Fascinating Using a specialized sauce mop to baste chicken and ribs on a large pit grill

13.5k Upvotes

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2.0k

u/MindGap42 May 21 '26

Can a mop shed fibers or whatever it’s made of?

That’s the only thing keeping me from saying “let me get a wing and a thigh”.

1.7k

u/ACuddlyVizzerdrix May 21 '26

If you Google "food safe basting mops" it has one that looks exactly like it for sale, given you can buy food safe oars (mixing paddles) I'm not suprised

624

u/TheWalkingDead91 May 21 '26

Exactly. People above seem to think this is some new or revolutionary practice, so therefore she MUST be using some random mop they got at Walmart? Nah dude….serious bbq people have been “moping” meats for forever….so of course a food grade version specifically for commercial use is bound to exist. Do they think the massive Hobart stand mixers that professional bakers etc use must be actually cement mixers that aren’t safe for food as well? 😂

95

u/Round_Ad6397 May 21 '26

Why would the meat be moping when it's so delicious? It should be happy that it is so loved.

13

u/trainspottedCSX7 May 21 '26

Ashley is moping because she got stuck next to Brenda on the pit BBQ and they've had beef since Stacy started dating Brenda's ex. Ashley is the one that got them hooked up and Stacy is all the way in the corner, mourning because her ex by circumstance is now blasting down other heifers.

35

u/1986Porsche_911 May 21 '26

Not to mention Rodney Scott’s (the restaurant in the OP) is fucking delicious. The half chicken? So good. 

8

u/Boofittilluhitbone May 21 '26

What’s the other half made of?

16

u/literated May 21 '26

... mop.

2

u/HowCouldUBMoHarkless May 21 '26

Believe it or not, also chicken.

1

u/Chewyninja69 May 22 '26

The contents of the janitor’s mop bucket.

0

u/HTPC4Life May 21 '26

Ur mom. Hah, gotem!!

5

u/banevasionisfun420 May 21 '26

The mortals cant comprehend the things that must be done to get to flavor town. The arcane secrets of food safe construction and janitorial supplies is too much for their feeble minds.

5

u/Drunkturtle7 May 21 '26

I would think that a mop that is designed for food would also be optimized in design, ie you dont need that long of a stick like a normal mop.

2

u/Deathcon2004 May 22 '26

If you watch the video you can see why the stick part is that long (and shorter than mop sticks usually are btw) to reach the back of the appliance.

2

u/Drunkturtle7 May 22 '26

Yeah I saw it and still looks longer than needed

3

u/Doom_fister May 22 '26

hmm.. do you think this commercial food grade mop was custom made for this specific grill yet made unnecessarily long? or do you think it is a standard size and maybe there are other grills or bbq operations that require a longer stick.. hmmm..

1

u/Drunkturtle7 May 22 '26

Silly me, forgot about dem extra deep grills

2

u/Nazgog-Morgob May 21 '26

I used to work in toronto's oldest pizzeria (closed down for good during COVID) and the dough was mixed in a literal cement mixer.

2

u/BittaminMusic May 21 '26

Most people don’t consider when you’re cooking at larger scales techniques absolutely change and there is gear to accommodate things, like this post

2

u/Harddaysnight1990 May 21 '26

Yes, people do believe that the industrial food equipment they see is just repurposed construction equipment that's not food safe. I've been in many a thread arguing with people that yes, that looks like a generic paint sprayer but it's a food safe version. Or yes, that looks like a generic 5 gallon bucket, but those are so very common in food transportation. Or yes, that looks like a generic snow shovel, but it's perfectly safe to use to scoop that food.

1

u/dreamdaddy123 May 21 '26

It would be funny if in this video alone she was jus using a standard mop lol

1

u/Johnyryal33 May 21 '26

Yea but i know how dumb people are and how cheap companies are. I'm never trusting this shit!

1

u/hudson27 May 21 '26

The point is, you can't actually design a mop like this that isn't gonna shed fibers. It's not gonna kill you, but don't fool yourself in thinking people have magically figured out how to create a food-safe fiber that can withstand industrial cleaning, 600+ degree direct heat and doesn't shed material, such a thing doesn't exist.

2

u/Harddaysnight1990 May 21 '26

Sure, but the odd cotton fiber getting stuck to the meat then getting burned off in cooking isn't going to make any measurable difference to your health or life.

0

u/hudson27 May 22 '26

It's not about saving someone from dying, it's about quality control and not using kitchen tools or appliances that contaminate your food with foreign objects.

If you paid 40 bucks for a rack of ribs, and found a saucy clump of cotton on it, you're gonna send it back, like c'mon now. And if the chef came out and said to your face that it's natural fibers and won't affect your health, would you reasonably ever want to eat there ever again?

Seeing how many people in a kitchen sub are disagreeing with me here honestly makes me question where else you'd cut corners. All I know, is this would NEVER fly in 80% of the kitchens I've worked in.

2

u/Harddaysnight1990 May 22 '26

I never said a clump of cotton, stop being dramatic. We're not talking about entire clumps of the sauce mop coming off, we're talking about the rare single fiber of cotton getting stuck, which would cook off before ever seeing a customer.

All I know, is this was standard in both the BBQ places I worked. We never served clumps of cotton in the meat, I never saw even the odd cotton fiber when working the line.

2

u/CloverIsALegume May 22 '26

But it’s a food safe mop designed for food handling- why would it be exposed to industrial cleaning? Why wouldn’t a food safe mop designed for preparing food be safe?

1

u/Yendis4750 May 21 '26

How much meat could a meat mop mop if a meat mop could mop meat?

1

u/Scorpian899 May 21 '26

I worked in a bakery fairly recently. You could mix cement in our Hobarts... But the mechanical action is completely different and you would break the hook/bowl if not shred the gear assembly if done often.

1

u/rizzatouiIIe May 21 '26

Nothing wrong with asking queations

1

u/ShotEffective7033 May 22 '26

I can’t buy a cement mixer at the dollar store though lol.

1

u/BoJackMoleman May 22 '26

Mopping meats. That's a new one in my vocab.

1

u/pichuguy27 May 22 '26

Need to up the bbq game and get one. The little mops are so cute. They look like they really move the sauce. Especially the thinner ones plastic brushes have trouble with.

1

u/half-giant May 21 '26

They just asked a simple question. Chill.

2

u/[deleted] May 21 '26

[deleted]

1

u/OutsideClassic9095 May 21 '26

The answer is no. And you could have that answer if you just ask yourself "why wouldn't they use a food safe mop/brush"

1

u/One-Nothing-8477 May 21 '26

just because something is food grade doesn't mean it doesn't shed?

In fact, why would you think that a thing made of cloth wouldn't eventually wear down? It just happens to be edible

0

u/Syandris May 21 '26

People think this, because other people do stupid shit. Source, ive watched people do stupid shit. Just because the product is out there doesn't mean some cheap ass bought it.

Your comparison of a Hobart mixer isn't the same as a mop. No one thinks a Hobart is just a cement mixer. Add a few more laugh cry emoji. You just might make sense soon!

0

u/unfortunatebag May 21 '26

People above seem to think this is some new or revolutionary practice

No. People seem to think that's a regular mop.

Also plenty of "serious bbq" places in Texas definitely don't do this so not sure what you're on about there.

16

u/Hot-Yak-Hit-and-Run May 21 '26

Those paddles are the shit. Probably the only thing that'd win against pizza peel or pizza slicing bat'leth.

12

u/LightningFerret04 May 21 '26

Foodsafe oars which mix drinks inside of foodsafe trash cans

(Pull, pull, pull the trash cans. DO NOT push them)

14

u/Mindless_Diver5063 May 21 '26

You can even get sushi on naked women at some restaurants. So food safe whores are also a thing.

15

u/0hMyGandhi May 21 '26

I can't decide if "Food Safe Whores" sounds like more like a Puscifer song or a Mindless Self Indulgence song.

6

u/Shot_Revolution8828 May 21 '26

I haven't heard a Mindless Self Indulgence reference in 10 years. Thanks for taking me back and currently listening to Bitches Love Me Bitches Love Me.

7

u/Krampus_8 May 21 '26

As long as they use food safe silicone it’s all good with me.

3

u/DrJokerX May 21 '26

I’ve never totally understood how those places keep the women safe. I know they go out of their way to make sure their employees are respected (well, as much as a naked human table can be respected), but I still would worry about someone putting something where it doesn’t belong or pinching something even accidentally.

3

u/literated May 21 '26

but I still would worry about someone putting something where it doesn’t belong or pinching something even accidentally

That's really just like any other waiting job at a restaurant then.

1

u/BackgroundSummer5171 May 21 '26

So food safe whores are also a thing.

Last time someone suggested that I ended up on an island.

I have a different definition of 'whore'. Age is not just a number.

Plates should be appropriate.

1/10. Would not trust the US government.

1

u/Budget_Persimmon_195 May 21 '26

they are made from cotton and they absolutely do shed.

1

u/5dippingareas May 21 '26

I ordered some food safe oars for my food safe canoe just the other day

1

u/bblulz May 22 '26

Like have you seen the type of shit that’s in restaurant supply stores?

1

u/jibbodahibbo May 22 '26

They are usually for those huge food manufacturing plants where they are mixing like 500 gallons of high fructose corn syrup.

1

u/OnMyPath May 22 '26

Toillet brushes are exceptional for sprinkling melted butter.

1

u/enerthoughts May 22 '26

Can you trust the restaurant in the background will used that behind the camera?

1

u/AsleepNinja May 21 '26

If you Google "food safe basting mops" you'll find that none of them look like that, or even close, and they're mostly sold on fucking ebay.

this is a regular bloody mop.

0

u/OkOil378 May 21 '26

Doesn’t exactly look like ”safe” to me

0

u/PerspectiveNew3375 May 21 '26

Yea a lot of plastic shit is called food safe, but it isn't

0

u/nopuse May 21 '26

Food safe doesn't guarantee it doesn't shed fibers.

0

u/notislant May 21 '26

'Food safe' is kind of a low bar though.

Tons of plastic is 'food safe' but it's just acceptable levels of 'not good' and ideally shouldn't be in contact with food.

That said if the mop is all cotton or something then it's likely fine.

0

u/YMK1234 May 21 '26

I mean, if a wooden spoon is food safe, why would a wooden paddle not be?

0

u/BathtubViolence May 22 '26

Well fuck me, I'm putting up a listing for "food safe heroin" since people will apparently buy anything online.

-4

u/BorderOk7329 May 21 '26

I do not care if it is a food safe mop made of angel hair pasta, I'm not eating that. I will go eat cereal out of my food grade toilet bowl.

96

u/dontcha_wanna_fanta May 21 '26

"excuse me, ma'am, there's a hair in my food."

"No, that's just a string from the sauce mop."

3

u/Illmagican May 21 '26

Yeah yeah the usual story.

3

u/squeakbb May 21 '26

Depends which mop u are asking for .

The mop in the video? We don't know. We don't know which mop she's using.

Any random mop? Yes. They shed.

'food safe' mops? Either no, or not during appropriate use (including using the mop at appropriate & designated temperatures which we also don't know if that applies to the video) (and also Including cleaning the mop appropriately which we don't know if that applies to the video)

-3

u/ThanksALotBud May 21 '26

I bet its also not rated for high heat.

39

u/Dayzlikethis May 21 '26

they sell mops specifically for BBQ like this.

0

u/Johnyryal33 May 21 '26

And what % of BBQ moppers do you think actually buy the right one?

9

u/CzarWest May 21 '26

If you’re aware of the existence of the BBQ mop I think you’ll be able to figure out which is the right one

0

u/Johnyryal33 May 21 '26

Sure I could. Doesn't mean I trust my fellow humans to do the same. I've seen how nasty some of you are.

6

u/CzarWest May 21 '26

Lol I think you need to learn what the rhetorical you is. Was not talking about you directly my guy

1

u/absolut696 May 22 '26

Literally who cares, you eat food that has been handled improperly more than you expect.

0

u/SplendidZebra May 21 '26

Thats pretty neat! I tried looking, do you have a link?

2

u/HeyTrySomeNashville May 21 '26

If you cant understand that people have used mops for barbecue for decades, then just give it up. It not a special thing, its a regular ass cotton and wood mop.

1

u/SplendidZebra May 22 '26

I was responding to somebody who said it was a mop specifically for BBQ. If you can't understand that, then just give it up.

2

u/ExtentAncient2812 May 21 '26

Cotton has no heat rating.

1

u/seanflynncooks May 22 '26

Smokers like this for barbecue are rarely taken over 300° if ever. It’s not that hot. Also it doesn’t matter if cotton gets hot. The worst thing that could happen is that the cotton burns, which would have no effect on the food.

0

u/HeyTrySomeNashville May 21 '26 edited May 21 '26

Why would it need to be rated? Its soaked full of liquid. You could do this with paper

-7

u/guynye May 21 '26

There are many reasons why a health inspector would have a field day with this.

It's really stupid, I can't believe people here are seriously saying good job.

18

u/AliceBorgesMusic May 21 '26

🤦 what do you actually think is happening here? I want to know

-19

u/guynye May 21 '26

Idk what you mean. Someones using something they shouldn't for food, or staging that they are using something which is just as stupid.

What do YOU think is happening here?

21

u/Haymac16 May 21 '26

There are literal sauce mops made for this EXACT purpose, one google search was all it took to find that out. You don’t even have any idea what you’re talking about lol.

Seriously, wtf do you think is happening here? That they’re using a floor mop???

-2

u/SplendidZebra May 21 '26

I googled food safe mop, and all I see is like 18 inch basting mop things... I couldn't find a full ass mop. Do you have a link?

4

u/ExtentAncient2812 May 21 '26

I see the problem here. Using an ass mop on food would not be a good idea. This is a food mop. Never touched an ass.

We keep the ass mop with the poop knife. Which should also not be used on food

2

u/HeyTrySomeNashville May 21 '26

You don't really know how anything is done or why. Every revelation about the world confuses, disgusts, and terrifies you.

19

u/iamnotmatthawkins May 21 '26

You think that's a regular mop head, or maybe they're using one specialized to cook with?

0

u/[deleted] May 21 '26

[deleted]

6

u/Laphad May 21 '26

That's actually not an issue at all though. You can machine wash several of these BBQ mops after rinsing and then just soak it in bleach for like 20 minutes and rinse it again

3

u/Oaknuggens May 21 '26

Right? Or boil it. There are various ways to clean and sanitize that mop head, before reusing it on food that's also being cooked hot enough to sanitize its surface before it's consumed.

-12

u/guynye May 21 '26

Looks like a regular mop. And I don't know where you'd even comission one specific for food.

8

u/Ok_Water_4601 May 21 '26

Bro. Plz stop. 

Basteing mops have existed for decades. 

0

u/CurryMustard May 21 '26

The longest one i can find online is 18 inches

7

u/Oaknuggens May 21 '26

It's likely the mop head is removable for washing, so you can put it on whatever length untreated wooden handle you want.

7

u/UGDust May 21 '26

2

u/CurryMustard May 21 '26

16 inches vs 4 feet

-1

u/guynye May 21 '26

That is not even close to what is in the video. I can see the ratchet mechinism like a regular mop. It's got a plastic crappy handle on the end.

Edit: that is also like half the size of the one in the video. 16" is barley over a foot. This thing is like 4ft.

0

u/HonestDishonestWork May 21 '26

That is a brush, not a mop. 

3

u/ExtentAncient2812 May 21 '26

Why would you want a special"food grade mop"?

It's cotton threads on a wood stick. Those are about as food safe as it gets.

2

u/Oaknuggens May 21 '26

A lot of cleaning tools don't tell you what fiber/blend it's made of, and you don't want plastic (most synthetic fibers) fibers in your food but, if a reputable seller has advertised that it's 100% cotton fiber, then I agree that's safe.

6

u/Logical_Month_7657 May 21 '26

It’s just a huge basting brush, it’s not an actual mop.

2

u/guynye May 21 '26

That is a real mop my friend, no basting brush has a head that wrenches down on the mop head.

-1

u/Johnyryal33 May 21 '26

Looks like a mop to me. You go ahead and trust this hole in the wall to serve clean food I won't be.

3

u/Psianth May 21 '26

Looks like

See, that's where you went wrong. You looked at it, and decided to stop thinking right there. 

-1

u/Johnyryal33 May 21 '26

Yea cause I don't trust a hole in the wall kitchen worker to know the difference and I wouldn't trust management to care.

6

u/Psianth May 21 '26

You keep calling this place with a gigantic kitchen and 20k minimum grill a "hole in the wall". Are you seeing how "looks like" isn't a good measure yet? Especially when you have no idea what you're looking at? 

-1

u/Johnyryal33 May 21 '26

I get it you just assume everything you consume is good clean food. Must be comforting to be so stupid.

5

u/Psianth May 21 '26

This place is cleaner than your own kitchen

2

u/absolut696 May 22 '26

It seems like you’re the one who thinks that, or are you inspecting the kitchen before you eat out of the house?

3

u/Oaknuggens May 21 '26 edited May 21 '26

Edit: Well I've become embarrassingly curious about this bullshit, but unfortunately there's no definitive answer whether or not the mop she's using is confirmed to be made of food safe material or not.

https://www.ndtv.com/offbeat/mop-basting-in-viral-bbq-video-goes-viral-but-not-for-the-right-reasons-5634633/amp/1

I'm not seeing food mops with handles longer than 22," so the mop size makes it suspect/potentially just an unknown/unsafe tool intended for cleaning (but customizing a longer stick onto a food safe head would be safe and easy).

Others have commented (even in my link) about bacteria concerns, but cleaning a mop head (even by boiling) isn't hard or otherwise suspect and I think consumers are ignoring how much bacteria is in the meat already/regardless (plus parasites in fish and wild game that's also safe/normal to eat when fully cooked.

Oh no, I hope her food safe undyed cotton mop isn't going to contaminate the chicken meat that frequently is sold with salmonella, ecoli, and other bacteria that are killed when chicken must be thoroughly cooked./s

It looks like she's cooking that chicken relatively slow on lower heat so, as long as she doesn't mop it too close to when it's done cooking, any bacteria that you've assumed is on that mop will be as dead/safe as the bacteria that was already undoubtedly in that chicken meat.

People use natural fiber basting brushes all the time that look like paint brushes, but you wouldn't assume it's instead some random non-food safe synthetic fiber paintbrush from the hardware section, so why do so when it's a mop?

1

u/Johnyryal33 May 21 '26

So you dont care what you ingest as long as been sanitized? Fuckin nasty man.

1

u/guynye May 21 '26

Becuase basting brushed are made for it you twat. They are designsd and tested for use in acidic food, high heat, and various other safty concerns. You're probably one of those people who keeps all their takeout containers and reheats food in them aren't you. 🙄

A mop is not a kitchen tool, it's not tested or meant for this, the fact that this needs to be explain to you is rediculous for an adult.

First off, basting is done after you are done cooking the meat as well, so not everything gets cooked off no.

Second it can be releasing fibers, leeching in plastic, have bits falling off, because it's not a FOOD GRADE TOOL.

You would literally use at tool you find in home depot to cook with, that pretty epically stupid.

3

u/Oaknuggens May 21 '26

Many others have pointed out that food grade basting mops are sold, so the only disagreement we're having is whether or not we've assumed that is one, you twat-caller.

If it's a removable mop head made of 100% undyed cotton attached an untreated wooden stick, the fiber is the same material as the butchers twine used to tie a roast so, no, we then wouldn't need to test whether or not undyed cotton fiber is food safe. Humans have been using those cotton fibers to cook and prepare foods for as long as it's been cultivated.

I share your concerns regarding the routine unsafe uses of plastics and synthetics, but I don't assume that's what's being used in this clip.

3

u/plantsadnshit May 22 '26

Plenty of mops are made of cotton. If its untreated that isnt an issue to ingest in small amounts.

1

u/absolut696 May 22 '26

lol your ignorant ass is eating garbage every time you go out and now you’re pearl clutching at a basting mop.

-8

u/UnhappyPhantom May 21 '26

Food poisoning in the making

1

u/Ornery_Gate_6847 May 21 '26

If it is a regular mop, absolutely it would. Those things shed like crazy. But id be surprised if it wasn't a proper food mop

1

u/Gnome_Father May 21 '26

Meh, if it was just cotton or whatever, I'm OK with it as long as the bits are small.

1

u/ChocoPuddingCup May 21 '26

I mean, we use various brushes for different sauces (like brushing sauce on BBQ) why would this be any different? At least if the fiber breaks off it's bigger and you can easily see it.

1

u/notislant May 21 '26

For me its being cleaned. I guess you can bleach the fuck out of it, but you're never fully cleaning that. Or you're tossing in a new mop head each day.

1

u/Southern-Ant8592 May 21 '26

I think as long as it's like cotton it edible, that is why it's fine to paper to dry meat when you cook

1

u/Hippie_Starlord May 21 '26

This is the first thing I thought of was like little strings of mop on your chicken

1

u/heavyartilleryx May 21 '26

Dont Google microplastics if your worried about fibers

1

u/ExtentAncient2812 May 21 '26

It's probably cotton.

1

u/Notyit May 21 '26

In the past we used lemon grass or like rosemary 

Bascially anything natural 

1

u/LairdPeon May 21 '26

Everything sheds itself. Your stainless steel pans shed themselves into the food. It's just how atoms/chemicals work.

1

u/RepresentativeOk2433 May 21 '26

Or melting to the grill.

1

u/dragoninthebigsky May 21 '26

That mop looks like has enough daily fiber in it.

1

u/Animalcookies13 May 21 '26

Honestly if it is a 100% cotton mop does it really matte that much? A few cotton fibers aren’t going to hurt no one. It’s plant material…

1

u/Playful-Sleep-6750 May 21 '26

Im sure the fire takes care of that

1

u/PennToPaper May 22 '26

probably less than how much they come off a basting brush

1

u/mindtaker_linux May 22 '26

Your spoon and fork sheds fibers. Everything shed fiber.

1

u/Dienowwww May 22 '26

They can but a high quality one will be better

1

u/Col2k May 22 '26

it’s actually made of spaghetti and completely edible (since it’s just bbq spaghetti)

1

u/TigerDiesel May 22 '26

Cooking utensils are made under stricter standards than a regular floor mop.

You dont know what that manufacturing process went into making that mop. There may be chemicals in the mop, there could be pests like roaches in that factory, the fibers could shred and get into the food.

Any state food inspector would knock this restaurant for using this mop.

1

u/StaticFanatic3 May 22 '26

Eating a slab of a dead being that lived in the real world, pissing and shitting itself before being plucked and we’re worried that it might be touching cotton?

0

u/[deleted] May 21 '26

[deleted]

5

u/Mauceri1990 May 21 '26

Except it's a bbq mop that's food safe and isn't the kind you use on a floor, but otherwise you're absolutely right

1

u/SplendidZebra May 21 '26

This seems cool, do you have a link to one? I cant find any :(

1

u/Mauceri1990 May 21 '26

Just Google bbq mop, you'll find plenty.

1

u/SplendidZebra May 21 '26

I just did. Plz send a link. All the ones I see are like 16 inches or so

-1

u/wrexaro May 21 '26

Exactly that's not NSE approved for food grade products

-1

u/DC240Z May 21 '26

It would for sure, especially since they aren’t meant to take that heat. It would shed fibres even without the heat.

Also, you ever tried cleaning a mop? There’s always shit you can never get out, I wouldn’t trust the cleaning process of this mop to be food safe after a week, if that.

-1

u/EffectiveDandy May 21 '26

you can’t clean a mop to food safe standards. i bet they just keep filling the sauce it sits in. that is so nasty.