Uggh - Rat got in my grill! Cleaning suggestions?

[MillerTime]

Yep, found a rat that had found its way up into my Weber gasser. I've caught the criminal and disposed of him, but now it's time for cleanup and I'm a little nervous here after reading up on rat disposal and the hazards involved with everything they touch. Since the grill is also related to food we ingest in our bodies, I'm also wondering if cleanup is perfectly accessible or if they are so hazardous that I should simply crime tape the scene and move on.

So in short, it is a Weber Genesis gasser with stock grates installed and a Little Griddle sitting on top of the grates. I can see some visible rat waste on the Little Griddle, but after removing that nothng else is fully noticeable b/c any waste just blends in with all the char residue that builds up on the flavorizor bars and below.

Is a full burn-off sufficient here, or do I run the risk of burning hazardous fumes into my food in the future? Any pest control or rodent experts around to give some proper cleaning suggestions with chemicals, etc? Or is the risk too much for the reward here and I should just call it all sunk?

Disgusting, I know... but it is what it is. Life, I tell ya!

[HawkerXP]

Mask and gloves. Scrape it to bare metal / paint. Spray it down with some disinfectant. Let sit. Wash it off. Run it full hot until you run out of gas. Drag it to the curb. Buy a kettle.

I don't know. Wait to hear what someone with sense has to say.

[Finster]

I lol'd

[klflowers]

Yep

[Johnny Booth]

Start by removing the skin, then make a slice along the abdomen, careful not to puncture the bowel. Remove the entrails and head. I would suggest med well to well, hot and fast. 😂 Seriously, I would use a tool to brush and scrape as much goo off as possible. Then I would use Easy Off to get rid the rest of the gunk. Rinse and repeat with hot soapy water until you are satisfied. Rinse really well with plain water, let dry, then burn it as hot as the manufacturer allows. 👍

[RichieB]

Take it apart meaning bars out and wash with a good disinfectant soap, power wash if you can, same for the grates. Scrape the firebox and remove the junk. Clean off the burners per Weber directions. High heat burn without bars and grates then with. I believe you' be all set.

[acorgihouse]

I agree with RichieB. I would take the pressure washer to it, then high heat burn as he describes.

[Donw]

I would scrub with soap and water and then disinfect with a diluted bleach solution spray made by combining household bleach and water as follows:
5 tablespoons (1/3 cup) of bleach per gallon of room temperature water or
4 teaspoons of bleach per quart of room temperature water.

Use the solution the same day you make it. Then do your heat treatment and re-season anything needing it.

[STEbbq]

If you are comfortable still using it knowing a rat was on there (see recent disgust thread), I would remove everything and clean it with Dawn or a strong BBQ cleaner and water inside and out. Then do a full burn off for a few hours. I wouldn’t introduce supplies not designed for use with grills because of the additional contamination risk.

[radiodome21]

I’ve had a mouse find its way onto my Silverbac pellet grill a few times. I removed everything and the used my shop vac to clean everything out. I then put the grates and the diffuser on my Genesis gas grill for a while. I couldn’t lay any bait traps outside because we have a new puppy so I figured out a way to block the entry points. I’ve probably done thin 4 times this year and have cooked on it after every time and we’re all still here.

[tstalafuse]

I had the same problem with my pellet grill. I cleaned the grates well with soapy water, vacuumed out the grill, wiped the inside with soap water, rinsed with water, put the grates back in, and cranked it up to 500 for an hour. Anything that survives that high heat isn't like going to die from any disinfecting wash you can get your hands on (or would want to use). I haven't noticed any side effects other than my ears are getting more pointy and my whiskers longer...

[klflowers]

Yeah but did you look closely?

[mrteddyprincess]

So I think what I'm hearing is that dressing the rat, spatchcocking it, dry rubbing and smoking it is not an option with you people?!? :-)

[STEbbq]

I am hearing a SUWYC post there. Show off your cook buddy!

[smokin fool]

Agree with a good pressure wash along with scrubbing with soap and water.
Another option could be oven cleaner, if Easy Off works on an oven/grates why not a BBQ slash grates....then the pressure wash.
Then as you indicate a full blown burn for a few hours

[smokenoob]

😩🫣😷🙈🙉🙊

[MillerTime]

Thanks all! Will give it a good scrapedown, pressure wash, clean, and long burn. Glad to hear those of you who have gone through this have survived intact!

FWIW if anyone else has this same issue the Victor electronic trap worked wonders and was a super clean kill and disposal. We chose it b/c we also have a dog around and didn't want her to get popped. Putting it back out there in case he had friends. (omg I hope not!)

[Murdy]

Just spray some Lysol on it and get on with your life!

[jfmorris]

I had this happen with my old Genesis Silver A about a decade back. Rats had climbed up through the hanging grease catch pan into the bottom of the grill, and were under the grates. I put out rat bait stations around the backyard and have not had the issue in many years.

On the grill - I did a full breakdown - pulled out the grease catch system, flavorizer bars, grates, etc. I sprayed everything with dish soap and soaked it good, then scraped it and hosed it all out in the yard. Reassembled, and with it wet, used a lighter to get it going, and ran on high heat for about 30 minutes to dry it out and burn off anything the Dawn, scraper and high pressure jet nozzle on the hose missed.

I also left the cover off the grill for a while until I knew the rats were dead and gone, as I felt that encouraged them to go up under the cover and get in the grill.

I've NOT seen this issue with my Camp Chef or current Weber grills, and they all sit out in the weather under covers at the moment.

[Attjack]

Just give it a complete cleaning and get it as hot as it gets for 20 minutes. Then consider installing a wire mesh in the back where it got in.

[jfmorris]

There are rats, and then there is this guy, found chilling under my old Genesis in December 2017... dogs were raising up a fuss, barking at the grill in the backyard, my two daughters went outside with me to check it out, and I pulled the cover off the grill to find this "guest". I made the dogs go inside, left the cover off his newfound "home", and about 10 minutes later he had moved on...

[fzxdoc]

Oh gosh. What a photo! Your pups must have scared him up into there.

Kathryn