What’s Really Hiding in Those Towels You Use to Rest Your BBQ?

For decades, backyard pitmasters have used the same trick: pull the brisket or pork shoulder off the smoker, wrap it up, surround it with towels and throw it in an old cooler.

It works for insulation. But have you ever stopped to think about what might be living in those towels? 🦠 🦠 🦠

Your BBQ Towels Aren’t Always as Clean as They Look

Kitchen towels can become a source of bacterial contamination because they absorb moisture and repeatedly come into contact with hands, countertops, food residue and other surfaces. Research and food-safety experts have identified organisms including E. coli and Staphylococcus aureus on reusable kitchen towels.

Now think about your BBQ towels.

Maybe they're stored in the garage. Maybe they've wiped down a prep table. Maybe they were used during your last cook. Even a freshly laundered towel can become contaminated again depending on how it's handled and stored.

And now you're wrapping those towels around dinner?

Warm + Damp + Food Residue Isn't a Great Combination

Bacteria grow most rapidly between 40°F and 140°F, a range the USDA calls the food-safety "Danger Zone." USDA guidance recommends keeping hot food at 140°F or above and monitoring it with a food thermometer.

That doesn't mean putting a properly wrapped 200°F brisket into a clean towel automatically makes it unsafe. But it does raise a better question:

Why are we using household towels as part of our food-holding system in the first place?

There’s a Cleaner Way to Rest BBQ!

This is one reason we created PITBOX.

Instead of building a makeshift resting system out of a plastic cooler and a pile of towels, PITBOX gives smoked meat a dedicated resting environment. The meat sits inside a removable stainless-steel pan, which means there's no need to pack towels around your brisket or pork shoulder to fill empty space.

When the rest is over, simply remove the pan, toss it in the dishwasher it and get ready for the next cook.

Your Rest Deserves Better.

You spend too much time and money making great BBQ to treat the final stage like an afterthought. Keep your equipment clean. Monitor your holding temperature. And maybe it's finally time to retire those old BBQ towels.

Rest it like you respect it & OWN THE REST™.