For many people, summer holidays such as the Fourth of July mean firing up the grill to enjoy outdoor meals with family and friends. Here are four barbecue food safety reminders from Liz Boyle, K-State Research and Extension meat specialist, to ensure everyone enjoys the food and the holiday.
1. Avoid cross-contamination.
Frequently washing hands is necessary.
“Washing your hands becomes important, especially with grilling,” Boyle said. “We are taking food outside, handling door knobs, handling tongs, handling raw meat and poultry, and often also handling fresh fruits and vegetables and other picnic foods.”
Also make sure to wash utensils and cooking supplies. Common items that could lead to cross-contamination include cutting boards, knives, tongs, spatulas and other tableware, and plates used to carry meat to the grill.
Use separate cutting boards for meat and produce, or thoroughly wash the cutting board after each use with soap and hot water. This prevents uncooked meat juices from contaminating fresh, uncooked produce.
Avoid cross-contaminating food with your thermometer, too. When checking temperatures of meat using a food thermometer, make sure if the product hasn’t reached necessary doneness that you wash the stem of the thermometer in hot soapy water and rinse it before checking the temperature of the meat again.
2. Handle and cook meat at appropriate temperatures.
For many, marinating meat comes before grilling. Boyle said to make sure to marinate at refrigeration temperatures.
“We want to keep foods out of the danger zone which is between 40 and 140 degrees Fahrenheit,” she said. “Foods can’t be in that temperature range for more than two hours. Otherwise, we have concerns not only with spoilage but also with potential growth of microorganisms that cause foodborne illness.”
To make sure the food you serve is safely cooked, use a thermometer. Most retail stores offer inexpensive meat thermometers and many different versions to fit your preference.
Cook ground meats (beef, lamb or pork) to an internal temperature of 160 F. Whole cuts such as steaks and chops should be cooked to at least 145 F. All poultry products must reach at least 165 F. Check the temperature in the center of the food at its thickest part. For thin foods such as burger patties and thin steaks or chicken breasts, that may mean inserting the thermometer from the side of the meat, instead of top down.
Don’t rely on color to determine doneness. Different factors influence meat color, and those can lead to a condition called “persistent pink”, where even though the product has reached 160 degrees, the meat is still pink in the middle. There’s also a condition called “premature browning”, where the meat can turn brown at 140 degrees– when it is not yet safely cooked– but looks like it’s done. A thermometer is the only way to tell when the meat is safe to eat.
3. Wash produce, not meat.
When you’re working with produce, make sure you wash it before eating. This prevents potential microorganisms on the surface of produce from making people sick.
Some consumers think they need to wash their meat before marinating or grilling, Boyle said, but unlike fresh produce, you do not need to wash meat products.
“Our modern harvesting practices have washing procedures inherently associated with them, so when you buy meat at the grocery store, there’s no need for you to wash it,” Boyle said. “Washing meat can result is a lot of contamination in your sink and on countertops from drops that splatter after hitting the meat surface.”
4. Store leftovers properly.
Usually barbecues with family and friends mean everyone is having fun and doing activities together, but make sure the meal and any leftovers don’t sit out longer than two hours (one hour in temperatures over 90 degrees.) Package leftovers in shallow containers, and put them in the refrigerator or cooler with ice or ice packs to keep them out of the temperature danger zone.
More information about barbecue food safety can be found by going online to K-State Research and Extension’s food safety website at www.ksre.ksu.edu/foodsafety. A brief video featuring Liz Boyle can be seen at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I8mqPT_CAWw&feature=youtu.be.