Tips on Grilling Food Safely

Back in April, I shared ideas on reducing food poison and illness with safe food handling in the kitchen. Food safety tips included the 4 steps in food handling:

1. Clean — Wash hands and surfaces often.
2. Separate — Don’t cross-contaminate.
3. Cook — Cook to proper temperatures, checking with a food thermometer.
4. Chill — Refrigerate promptly.

Now as we enjoy summer and fire up the grill for a cook-out, let’s discuss everything you need to know about firing up the grill safely from tools to temps. One important lesson for first-time grillers is to remember that color is never a reliable indicator of safety and doneness. Use a food thermometer to ensure safe internal temperatures.

1. Chill: Keep your meat, poultry, and seafood refrigerated until ready to grill. Each should be in their own plastic bag or container. When transporting meat farther than your own backyard, keep it below 40°F in an insulated cooler.
2. Clean: Wash your hands and work surfaces and utensils before and after cooking.
3. Separate: Get rid of marinades and sauces that have touched raw meat juices, which can spread germs to cooked foods. Use clean utensils and plates to remove the cooked meat from the grill. Since you have to be careful that your cooked meat does not become contaminated by touching the same surface as your raw meat, I used to put the meat on the grill and then go into the house to wash the meat platter. Then I decided to first line the clean platter with wax paper and lay the raw burgers on the wax paper. After placing the meat on the grill, I remove the wax paper and have a clean platter for the cooked burgers.
4. Check grill & tools: Before cooking, clean the grill surface with a moist cloth or paper towel. After cooking, The Consumer Product Safety Commission advises people to clean their grills with a ball of aluminum foil or nylon brushes instead of wire grill brushes. For over ten years, there have been reports regarding the number of people injured when the a wire bristle snaps off the brush and sticks to the grill. The wire then transfers to the meat grilled and is swallowed. Sometimes the wire injures the mouth or throat, but all too often it makes it to the stomach or intestines before puncturing the lining. Stomach pain can start immediately or take a day, depending where the bristle gets lodged. Severe abdominal pain calls for lots of tests that may not find the little piece of wire. Removal of the wire requires surgery and sometimes removal of part of the intestines. If you use a wire bristle brush to clean your grill, I suggest you replace it with a safer wire-free nylon brush that won’t injure anyone. Epicurious has an informative post, 5 Safe Grill Brushes That Won’t Send You To the ER.
5. Cook: Use a food thermometer to ensure the meat is cooked hot enough to kill harmful germs. When smoking meat, keep the temperature inside the smoker 225°F to 300°F to keep the meat at a safe temperature while it cooks.
   • 145°F (60 C to 65.5 C) – whole cuts of beef, pork, lamb, and veal (allow to rest for three minutes before carving or eating.)
   • 145°F (60 C to 65.5 C) – fish
   • 160°F (71.1 C) – hamburgers and other ground beef
   • 165°F (73.9 C) – all poultry and precooked meats, like hot dogs
6. Refrigerate: Divide your leftovers into small portions and place in covered, shallow containers to help them chill quickly. Put in the freezer or the fridge within two hours of cooking, or one hour if it’s above 90°F outside.

There’s nothing better than gathering around the grill to prepare a good meal. Don’t forget the rules of food safety this grilling season. Whether you’re a grill master or a first-time barbecue cook, food safety should always be part of your routine to ensure a healthy and happy summer.

Thanks for the visit. Wishing you tasty and healthy grilling this summer and every year in the future.

For more information see:

Basics for Handling Food Safety. United States Department of Agriculture.

Cold Food Storage Chart, United States Department of Agriculture

Your Top 10 Food Safety Tips For Summer Grilling, United States Department of Agriculture

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