Important Food Safety Tips for Your Summer BBQ

Important Food Safety Tips for Your Summer BBQ

Summertime means long, sunny days, swimming at the beach, picnics, and especially backyard barbeques. But did you know that bacteria thrive in warm, moist conditions where food is present, and this condition occurs whenever you have one of those festive barbeques? While chicken, steak, and just about anything else tastes better when grilled outside, there are a lot of potential health problems associated with cooking over hot coals, namely food poisoning caused by bacteria that proliferate in the warmth of the summer sun. The USDA estimates that around $4 billion annually is spent on sicknesses caused by a variety of food poisonings. So to keep your summer safe from food-borne illnesses that could arise from neglecting certain food safety rules, here is a quick rundown of a few of the more important food safety rules.

No matter what kind of meat you are cooking over the grill, always make sure it is cooked thoroughly enough to kill any disease-causing bacteria that might be hiding within your supper. Since food that is cooked on the grill tends to look done on the outside before it is done on the inside, use a food thermometer to guarantee that the inside has been cooked long. As a rule, chicken should achieve an internal temperature of 160 degrees Fahrenheit; steak should be 120 degrees Fahrenheit, and pork 170 degrees Fahrenheit. Once these meats are cooked, make sure they remain hot by laying them on the outside of the grill until everybody is ready to eat. Put your grilled food on clean plates and never on the ones they were originally placed on because juices from uncooked meat could contain busily reproducing bacteria just waiting to be ingested.

Many backyard barbeques are known for being all-afternoon eating fests-constantly going back for more hot dogs, hamburgers, etc...after digesting the first course. But remember that food which has been left out for more than two hours after being made should be thrown out, especially if the afternoon temperature soars into the nineties. Being outside at a barbeque also means coming in contact with bacteria-thick surfaces such as trash, pets, and trips to the bathroom, so remember to wash your hands before eating another hamburger or pork chop. Flies and other creepy-crawlies can be a major problem when entertaining outside but never spray insecticide around uncovered food! If bugs become too much of a problem, put food inside plastic dishes with airtight lids before spraying or using sticky strips, and place them in a shady area, away from sunlight where bacteria flourish.

If you have neglected to follow these simple food safety rules, you and some of your barbeque guests could find themselves feeling extremely sick from vomiting, diarrhea, overwhelming tiredness, and a really bad headache in just a matter of hours. So if you want your guests to keep coming back for your grilling parties, remember to wash, cover, and cook your food thoroughly!

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