Whether a person is a grill master or a first-time barbecue cook, food safety should always be part of one’s routine to ensure a healthy and happy cookout.
“Recent USDA consumer behavior studies have shown that individuals don’t always properly wash their hands or use a food thermometer,” said Dr. Emilio Esteban, USDA Under Secretary for food safety. “Show your family and friends that you’re a true grill master by cooking food to a safe temperature and washing your hands after handling raw meat and poultry.”
To ensure food is safe to eat follow these food safety steps:
- Clean: Scrub the grill clean before use. Clean utensils and plates before they touch food. No access to a faucet? Carry bottled water, soap and paper towels. Wash one’s hands before and after handling raw meat and poultry. Follow proper handwashing steps to stop bacteria from spreading from one’s hands to a meal. Make sure to wet hands, lather with soap, scrub for 20 seconds, rinse and dry.
- Separate: Avoid cross contamination. Separate raw meat and vegetables by using different cutting boards. Place raw meat or poultry on one plate and cooked meat and poultry on another. Don’t use the same utensils to place raw meat and poultry on the grill and take cooked food off.
- Cook: Use food thermometers to ensure the grilled food is ready. Insert the thermometer through the side of the patty until the probe reaches the center. Color is never a reliable indicator of doneness. Cook food to a safe minimum internal temperature by using a food thermometer: cook whole cuts of meat to 145° F with a three-minute rest time, cook fish to 145° F, cook ground meats to 160° F and cook poultry (ground or whole) to 165° F.
Although frozen products may appear to be pre-cooked or browned, treat them as raw food and cook thoroughly. Products labeled as “Cook and Serve,” “Ready to Cook” and “Oven Ready” must be cooked.
- Chill: Bacteria multiply rapidly between 40° F and 140° F — aka the “Danger Zone.” Perishable food should be consumed or refrigerated within two hours (one hour if outdoor temperatures are 90° F and above).
For more food safety information, call the USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline at 1-888-MPHotline (1-888-674-6854), email MPHotline@usda.gov or chat live at ask.usda.gov from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Eastern Time, Monday through Friday.