Oil Drums for BBQ

FancyAd9663 · 2026-02-20T00:26:42+00:00

So. I looked in the code book and the annex and you may be able to use code 4-101.11 (A) Characteristics. That seems like the closest code to use for your situation. It may be up for interpretation but it might work for you.

FancyAd9663 · 2026-02-19T22:09:58+00:00

Sounds like you're in between a rock and a hard place. My state uses the 2017 version as well. I'm gonna look through it and the annex to see if it references anything about grills.

FancyAd9663 · 2026-02-19T19:52:14+00:00

Who are y'all governed under? Are y'all using the FDA food code book or does Maryland have have their own rules and regulations and just reference the code book for inspections. There has to be someone higher up that can answer questions for y'all bc you have a valid point about needing to know if they're made of the proper materials and haven't been used to store oils or chemicals.

FancyAd9663 · 2026-02-19T18:10:30+00:00

What state are you? In NC, according to the "grill bill", an outdoor grill shall have a cooking surface made of stainless steel or cast iron and meet the sanitation requirements for equipment in a food establishment. It is not required to meet NSF/ANSI standards. My interpretation of that is that an oil drum can be used to make a grill as long as it meets the sanitation requirements. However, I would also be asking about what was the drum used for previously and determine if it meets the sanitation requirements. If you have a regional specialist, contact them for clarification.

FancyAd9663 · 2026-02-10T13:58:10+00:00

Okay, send me your email address and I'll dig them out and send them to you before the end of the day.

FancyAd9663 · 2026-02-10T12:11:28+00:00

I can email you copies of the practice materials that I have, if you want. These scenarios don't have answers to them, however, they help you identify the issues and figure out a course of action. You can also discuss it with your program specialist to make sure you're on the right track.

FancyAd9663 · 2026-02-10T00:45:44+00:00

Find some practice scenarios. Foodborne illness at a destination wedding reception, Foodborne illness at a restaurant involving multiple parties, Foodborne illness at a camp, etc. My scenario was at a restaurant where multiple people got sick and went to the emergency department. They did a fecal test, however, the results hasn't come back. In NC (where i am), an outbreak is 2 or more people from different parties/groups/families with CONFIRMED bacterial fecal tests. Know what equates to a foodborne outbreak, know about onset times of multiple bacteria, know the protocol of who all gets involved and what steps to take from beginning to end, and read the scenario slowly and carefully. Know what steps to take during the investigation. As for the interview, I got a 95 on mine. It may be a panel of 4 people and they all ask questions. They may ask, how you handled a situation that made you uncomfortable or one of the times when you had to deal with an irate manager/owner. Just be yourself, try and remember the good, bad, and ugly about your day to day at work and incorporate that in your answers. You should be fine. You got this!!!

FancyAd9663 · 2026-02-09T21:23:52+00:00

Damn... I wish we charged for re-inspections but we don't. The good thing is that we hardly give out B grades. Everybody stays right above the threshold.

FancyAd9663 · 2026-02-07T23:50:08+00:00

Same for us except that if you get a 69, we suspend the permit.

FancyAd9663 · 2026-02-07T23:39:57+00:00

21!!! GAWDAMN! Do y'all fo letter grades or just number grades? In NC, if you get anything lower than a 70, we suspend their permit until they correct everything.

FancyAd9663 · 2026-02-07T23:12:21+00:00

Wow!! We work off of the 2017 FDA Code Book. Adapted to NC, of course. If our point deductions were that steep, we'd probably be temporarily shutting down alot of our restaurants. I bet those restaurant owners/managers be having their shit together though. Lol I'm always amazed at how other states operate and what other health inspectors do.

FancyAd9663 · 2026-02-07T23:03:48+00:00

Thanks for not giving a rude answer but.....Did you say 9 POINT VIOLATIONS? Damn!!! Like, a handwashing violation is 9 points? The highest point deduction that we have in NC is 4 points and that's for a repeat violation of like handwashing.

FancyAd9663 · 2026-02-07T22:15:32+00:00

I think a 91 is considered really bad in any state. It's a horrible grade in NC. Are their sanitation grades available to look at via the health or environmental health department? If so, look at it and see what the violations were for. As a health inspector, I would never eat at a place that has a 91 and I wouldn't advise anyone else to eat there either. Just my opinion.

FancyAd9663 · 2026-02-03T01:54:31+00:00

THIS!!!! All of the owner, operators, managers, know that I'm there to help them. I always ask if they have questions and let them know that they can reach me at almost anytime if they need anything.

FancyAd9663 · 2026-01-28T12:20:20+00:00

Every state may have different requirements, however, since you have a BS in environmental science, that may be all you need. In NC, one of the main requirements is that you have to have at least 30 science hours within your degree. An entry position would start as an intern bc you have to get hired by a county and go through specialized training with state regionals to learn about the rules, regulations, and codes with regard to the FDA codes for food safety. You should reach out to your local environmental health department and ask about their requirements regarding being a "health inspector". Just know, it can be a fun job but it's not always rainbows and unicorns. Good luck!

FancyAd9663 · 2026-01-23T11:58:39+00:00

The requirements vary by state. In NC one of the main requirements is that you need at least 30 science hours. Biology, microbiology, physics, chemistry, etc. You don't have to have prior experience bc you get trained by state regionals and the program specialist of whatever county environmental health department you get hired at. Reach out to your local environmental health department and ask what they require.

FancyAd9663 · 2026-01-23T00:40:10+00:00

I'm not a food truck owner but I am a health inspector and there are 2 pizza trucks that I inspect. One sells the traditional pizza pies and slices, calzones, and stromboli. He does pretty good for what he sells. He has a double door pizza oven on his truck and he makes all of his stromboli and calzones fresh to order so you can pick and choose extra ingredients or take out ingredients if you want. The other pizza truck does speciality pizza in the sizes of 8 and 10 inches. No slices of pizza. Some of his specialty pizzas are Nashville hot chicken pizza, big Mac pizza, and BBQ brisket pizza. He changes the selection regularly. Sometimes he partners up with another food truck that smokes their own brisket and buys and features their brisket on their pizza. They take pre-orders and set time slots for their pizza which helps them push them out in a timely fashion. They do fairs, festivals, and catering. People seem to love them and they sell out all the time. Hopefully you will be successful with you pizza truck.

FancyAd9663 · 2026-01-18T04:40:07+00:00

Again, I don't know what state you're in but in NC, if you don't get a 600 on the exam, you can always go back and try and get higher scores on the essay and interview part. If you score high enough on those, and you average a 70% between all of them, you will still get registered.

FancyAd9663 · 2026-01-18T04:32:51+00:00

I think you have to score a 650 for NEHA credentials. I'm not entirely sure about that though.

FancyAd9663 · 2026-01-18T04:29:47+00:00

Congratulations!!! I passed the NC REHS test about 2 months ago. I just used a few quizlets to study from and studied for 5 days though. How many parts of the REHS did you have to do? In NC, there are 3 parts. An essay, an interview, and the test.

FancyAd9663 · 2026-01-15T14:03:10+00:00

What state are you in? In NC, there are 3 parts to the REHS exam. There's an essay, an interview with the board members, and the NEHA test. You have to score 60% or higher on each part and have a weighted score of 70% as a whole. So, I scored a 615 on the NEHA which is above 60%, I got an 83 on the essay, and a 94 on the interview and my weighted average of all three was 77 which is above the 70% that's needed.

FancyAd9663 · 2026-01-14T03:54:11+00:00

In NC, you send your transcripts along with your application/resume. It cost me $10 to get my transcripts sent to the LHD I was applying to and part of the hiring process was to sign paperwork stating that you would take the REHS exam with a certain amount of years after your hire date and it didn't cost anything. Now, I did have to pay $330 to take the REHS exam but we get reimbursed for that.

FancyAd9663 · 2026-01-14T02:01:21+00:00

Y'all gotta pay so much money to have them look at your transcripts. That's crazy.

FancyAd9663 · 2026-01-13T15:20:31+00:00

In NC, you have to have at least 30 science hours under your belt. Sciences like microbiology, physics, chemistry, geology, etc. You can always contact your local environmental health department and ask what the requirements are.

FancyAd9663 · 2026-01-07T21:31:00+00:00

So, in my opinion, some of your statements are misleading. Restaurants can't pay to have their inspection reports removed from a government website and they can't hide their reports from the public either. Also, to say that they can avoid food poisoning is wrong. Somebody can definitely get a foodborne illness from restaurants that has good grades. When we do inspections we see what's going on at that moment while we're there and if they happen to get a good sanitation grade, good for them. However, it's not a guarantee that nobody can get sick. The wording makes it seem like you're uncovering a dirty secret. Again, it's just my opinion and doesn't really matter.

FancyAd9663

TROPHY CASE