10 Smoky Tips To BBQ Food Safely


Cooking outdoors was once only a summer activity shared withfamily and friends. Now more than half of Americans say theyare cooking outdoors year round. Use these simple guidelinesfor grilling food safely to prevent harmful bacteria frommultiplying and causing food-borne illness.

1. Defrosting

Completely defrost meat and poultry before grilling so itcooks more evenly. Use the refrigerator for slow, safethawing or thaw sealed packages in cold water. You canmicrowave defrost if the food will be placed immediately onthe grill.

2. Marinating

Meat and poultry can be marinated for several hours or daysto tenderize or add flavor. Be sure to marinate food in therefrigerator, not on the counter. If some of the marinade isto be used as a sauce on the cooked food, reserve a portionof the marinade before putting raw meat and poultry in it.However, if the marinade used on raw meat or poultry is tobe reused, make sure to let it come to a boil first todestroy any harmful bacteria.

3. Transporting

When carrying food to another location, keep it cold tominimize bacterial growth. Use an insulated cooler withsufficient ice or ice packs to keep the food at 40° F orbelow. Pack food right from the refrigerator into the coolerimmediately before leaving home. Keep the cooler in thecoolest part of the car.

4. Keep Cold Food Cold

When using a cooler, keep it out of the direct sun byplacing it in the shade or shelter. Avoid opening the lidtoo often, which lets cold air out and warm air in. Packbeverages in one cooler & perishables in a separate cooler.

5. Keep Everything Clean

Be sure there are plenty of clean utensils and platters. Toprevent food-borne illness, don't use the same platter andutensils for raw and cooked meat and poultry. Harmfulbacteria present in raw meat and poultry and their juicescan contaminate safely cooked food.

6. Cook Thoroughly

Cook food to a safe internal temperature to destroy harmfulbacteria. Meat and poultry cooked on a grill often brownsvery fast on the outside. Use a food thermometer to be surethe food has reached a safe internal temperature. Wholepoultry should reach 180° F; breasts, 170° F. Hamburgersmade of ground beef should reach 160° F; ground poultry,165° F. Beef, veal, and lamb steaks, roasts and chops can becooked to 145° F. All cuts of pork should reach 160° F.NEVER partially grill meat or poultry and finish cookinglater.

7. Keep Hot Food Hot

After cooking meat and poultry on the grill, keep it hotuntil served -- at 140° F or warmer. Keep cooked meats hotby setting them to the side of the grill rack, not directlyover the coals where they could overcook. At home, thecooked meat can be kept hot in a warm oven (approximately200° F), in a chafing dish or slow cooker, or on a warmingtray.

8. Serving Safely

When taking food off the grill, use a clean platter. Don'tput cooked food on the same platter that held raw meat orpoultry. Any harmful bacteria present in the raw meat juicescould contaminate safely cooked food.

9. Safe Smoking

Smoking is done much more slowly than grilling, so lesstender meats benefit from this method, and a natural smokeflavoring permeates the meat. The temperature in the smokershould be maintained at 250° F to 300° F for safety. Use afood thermometer to be sure the food has reached a safeinternal temperature.

10. Pit Roasting

Cooking may require 10 to 12 hours or more and is difficultto estimate. A meat thermometer must be used to determinethe meat's safety and doneness. There are many variablessuch as outdoor temperature, the size and thickness of themeat, and how fast the coals are cooking.

Terry Nicholls
My Home-Based Business Advisor
www.my-home-based-business-advisor.com

Copyright © by Terry Nicholls. All Rights Reserved.

About The Author

Terry Nicholls is the author of the eBook "Food Safety: Protecting Your Family From Food Poisoning". In addition, he writes from his own experiences in trying to start his own home-based business. To benefit from his success, visit My Home-Based Business Advisor - Helping YOUR Home Business Start and Succeed for free help for YOUR home business, including ideas, startup, and expansion advice.

More Resources

Unable to open RSS Feed $XMLfilename with error HTTP ERROR: 404, exiting

More Cooking Information:

Related Articles

Cooking -- What You Need To Know
From ancient times till the nineteenth century cooking was basically a survival skill. The nineteenth century marked the division of cooking into two main categories.
The Perfect Omelet(te), How to Cook It
Omelet(te)sThey're easy to cook, right?We'll see.The first thing to remember is that you need the right size of frying pan.
Working with Eggs
Bad eggs are rare but they do occur. Crack eggs into a separate bowl before mixing with other ingredients.
Save Time in the Kitchen - Cook Pasta the Way Restaurant Chefs Do
Have you ever wondered how a restaurant can get a dish of pasta to your table in about four minutes when you know it takes ten minutes just to cook the pasta? Does the water on their stoves boil at a higher temperature than the water on yours? Do they know a trick that you don't? As a matter of fact, they do.They parboil, or partially pre-cook their pasta; so when an order comes in to the kitchen, a cook can turn out a dish of perfectly 'al dente' pasta in a minute or two.
Baking Perfect Breads, Cookies, and Desserts
We're all looking for that perfect pie, or cookies, or loaf of bread. It doesn't always happen.
Seasoning An Oven
Untreated cast iron rusts, especially around water. To prevent metal from oxidizing in the presence of moisture, cast iron requires a process called ?seasoning?.
10 Deadly Bacteria That Can Get In Your Food (And How To Stop Them From Getting There)
Thousands of types of bacteria are naturally present in ourenvironment. Not all bacteria cause disease in humans (forexample, some bacteria are used beneficially in makingcheese and yogurt).
Barbecue Success With The Rule Of Thirds
Ever been to a barbecue party where the 'chef' placed as much food as he could possibly fit onto the barbecue grill, every so often stabbing the food with a fork and juggling it around so that it cooks evenly? Ever noticed how, within a few minutes, the flames start gently flickering under the food, the chef proudly standing back admiring the char grill effect that he's creating? Ever notice the panic that sets in when the flames suddenly leap up and around the food burning it black on the outside and leaving it raw on the inside?The difference between great char grilled barbecue food and burnt offerings lies in a few small precautions. The chef that we've just described made a few fatal errors that could easily have been avoided.
The Perfect Scone: Keys to Make Your Scone Just Right
Ah, there's nothing like a tender, steaming scone in the morning. (Pronounced "skawn" like "fawn" or "scone" like "tone" -Webster says either is okay.
Vegetarian Cooking - Three Basics
For any of the many reasons people choose to eatvegetarian food - religion, politics, finances, or health -one thing in common is that everyone prefers food thattastes delicious and provides good nutrition. There aresome basic techniques to vegetarian cooking which willaccomplish that.
Eat your Veggies! Simple Cooking Methods
Vegetables add colour, taste, texture and bulk to our daily diet. There are dozens of different vegetables that can be prepared in literally hundreds of ways.
What's the Thick on Roux? Thickening Soups and Sauces
Soups and sauces can be thickened in a variety of ways. A sauce must the thick enough to cling to the food, but not so thick it stands up on its own.
About Baking: Eight Tips for Perfect Pancakes
Pancakes are easy and almost foolproof. But there are some tricks to making them perfect.
Grill Your Corn for Maximum Flavor
There's two basic theories on grilling corn. Some people prefer wrapping the corn in aluminum foil or its own husk, maybe with a little butter and seasonings, then cooking it on the grill until done.
A Cookie Assembly Line: Efficient Cookie Baking for Busy Cooks
As a busy working mother, I'm short on time, especially during the holidays, but baking Christmas cookies is a family tradition I'm unwilling to give up. Over the years, I've come up with many ways to make the process of baking a large variety of cookies go much smoother and take less time out of my busy life.
Picture Perfect Bread
The secret-at least most of it-is in the rise. The most common mistake that we see in bread making is not letting the dough rise enough.
Do a Dry Rub First
The debate on ribs has ended in my home. After years of toil I have finally capitulated and agreed to make ribs the fool proof way every time.
What Are Scoville Units?
To understand what a Scoville Unit is, one must understand what they measure. All hot peppers contain capsaicinoids, natural substances that produce a burning sensation in the mouth, causing the eyes to water and the nose to run, and even induce perspiration.
Cake Baking Tip Guide
Successful cake decorating is all about preparation. Baking and preparing your cake for decorating is a critical part of the total process.
Slimming Secrets From The Kitchen
To get the svelte figure, start in the kitchen. Slimming down is about taking in less calories, while you burn more caloriesthrough exercise.