How do you use a vanilla bean in the secondary

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ampete1

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I am going to be brewing a porter that calls for a single vanilla bean in the secondary. Should I split the bean and use the inside or just throw the whole bean into the secondary? Should I be concerned of sanitizing the bean before putting into the secondary? If so what is the best method to sanitize the vanilla bean?
 
What works best for me is to split the bean and scrape out the inside (where the flavor is). Soak the inside of the bean in vodka for a day, then put the vodka with the vanilla into secondary.
 
Some people split them and scrape the insides a little bit and throw them in, some split/scrape/soak in vodka for a day and dump that all in.

I've made a vanilla milk stout a couple times. What I did was split the beans lengthwise, dump it into a small glass jar and cover 'em with the cheapest bourbon I could buy. :) Left it in the fridge for about a week. Then I dumped everything into the secondary for a couple weeks, kegged and it was great. Only wish the vanilla hadn't faded with age. :(
 
I usually stick with the split and soak method (bourbon). I'm going to try the JD Honey Bourbon the next time I do it and dump it all in the bucket. Anyone else thirsty now?
 
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