Post by BooBoo on Apr 19, 2007 9:18:00 GMT -5
Barbecuing outdoors was once only a summer activity shared with family and friends. Now more than half of Americans say they are cooking Barbecue outdoors year round. So whether the snow is blowing or the sun is shining brightly, it is important to follow some simple food safety guidelines to prevent harmful bacteria from multiplying and causing food-borne illness. Use these simple guidelines for Barbecue food safely.
From the Store to Your Home
When shopping, buy the cold food on your list, like meat and poultry, last, right before checkout. Separate raw meat and poultry from other food in your shopping cart, to guard against cross-contamination which can happen when raw meat or poultry juices drip on other food. Put packages of raw meat and poultry separate into plastic bags.
Plan to drive directly home from the grocery store. For long drives, you may want to take a cooler with ice for those perishables. Always refrigerate perishable food within 2 hours. Refrigerate within 1 hour when the outside temperature is above 90°.
Once you are home, refrigerate meat and poultry immediately. Freeze poultry and ground meats that won't be used in 1 or 2 days and other all meats within 4 to 5 days.
Defrost Foods Safely
Completely defrost meat and/or poultry before Barbecuing so that it cooks more evenly. Use the refrigerator for slow, safe thawing or thaw sealed packages in cold water. You can microwave defrost if the food will be placed immediately on the cooking heat.
Marinating Foods
Meat and poultry can be marinated for several hours or days to tenderize or add flavor. Marinate food in the refrigerator, not on the counter. If some of the marinade is to be used as a sauce on the cooked food, reserve a portion of the marinade before putting raw meat and poultry in it. However, if the marinade used on raw meat or poultry is to be reused, make sure to let it come to a boil first to destroy any harmful bacteria.
Transporting Foods
When carrying food to another location, keep it cold to minimize bacterial growth. Use an insulated cooler with sufficient ice or ice packs to keep the food at 40° or below. Pack food right from the refrigerator into the cooler immediately before leaving home. Keep the cooler in the coolest part of the car.
Keep Cold Food Cold
Keep meat and poultry refrigerated until ready to use. Only take out the meat and/or poultry that will immediately be placed on the heat source.
When using a cooler, keep it out of the direct sun by placing it in the shade or shelter. Avoid opening the lid too often, which lets cold air out and warm air in. Pack beverages in one cooler and perishables in a separate cooler.
Keep Everything Clean
Be certain that all utensils and platters are clean. To prevent food-borne illness, don't use the same platter and utensils for raw and then cooked meat and poultry. Harmful bacteria present in raw meat and poultry and their juices can contaminate safely cooked food.
If you're eating away from home, find out if there's a source of clean water. If not, bring water for preparation and cleaning. Always pack clean cloths, and wet towels for cleaning surfaces and hands. It never hurts to bring along a little chlorine bleach for the cleaning.
Pre-Cooking Barbecue Foods
Pre-Cooking food partially in the crock pot, microwave, oven, or stove is a good way of reducing barbecuing time. Just make sure that the food goes immediately on the preheated fire to complete the cooking.
Cook BBQ Thoroughly
Cook food to a safe internal temperature to destroy harmful bacteria. Meat and poultry cooked on a grill often browns very fast on the outside. Use a food thermometer to be sure the food has reached a safe internal temperature. Whole poultry should reach 180°; breasts, 170°. Hamburgers made of ground beef should reach 160°; ground poultry, 165°. Beef, veal, and lamb steaks, roasts and chops can be cooked to 145°. All cuts of pork should reach 160°.
Re-Heating BBQ
When reheating fully cooked meats, grill to 165° or until steaming hot.
Keep Hot Food Hot
After cooking meat and poultry on the grill, keep it hot until served - at 140° or warmer. Keep cooked meats hot by setting them to the side of the grill rack, not directly over the coals where they could overcook. At home, the cooked meat can be kept hot in a warm oven (approximately 200°), in a chafing dish or slow cooker, or on a warming tray.
Serving Your Barbecue Food
When taking food off the heat, use a clean platter. Don't put cooked food on the same platter that held raw meat or poultry. Any harmful bacteria present in the raw meat juices could contaminate safely cooked food.
In hot weather (above 90°), food should never sit out for more than 1 hour.
Barbecue Leftovers
Refrigerate any leftovers promptly in shallow containers. Discard any food left out more than 2 hours (1 hour if temperatures are above 90°).
Pit Roasting
Pit roasting is cooking meat in a large, level hole dug in the earth. A hardwood fire is built in the pit, requiring wood equal to about 2½ times the volume of the pit. The hardwood is allowed to burn until the wood reduces and the pit is half filled with burning coals. This can require 4 to 6 hours burning time.
Cooking may require 10 to 12 hours or more and is difficult to estimate. A meat thermometer must be used to determine the meat's safety and doneness. There are many variables such as outdoor temperature, the size and thickness of the meat, moisture content and how fast the coals are cooking the meats.
For Further Information Contact:
FSIS Food Safety Education Staff
Meat and Poultry Hotline:
1-888-MPHotline (1-888-674-6854) - Tollfree Nationwide
1-800-256-7072 (TDD/TTY)
E-mail: mphotline.fsis@usda.gov
From the Store to Your Home
When shopping, buy the cold food on your list, like meat and poultry, last, right before checkout. Separate raw meat and poultry from other food in your shopping cart, to guard against cross-contamination which can happen when raw meat or poultry juices drip on other food. Put packages of raw meat and poultry separate into plastic bags.
Plan to drive directly home from the grocery store. For long drives, you may want to take a cooler with ice for those perishables. Always refrigerate perishable food within 2 hours. Refrigerate within 1 hour when the outside temperature is above 90°.
Once you are home, refrigerate meat and poultry immediately. Freeze poultry and ground meats that won't be used in 1 or 2 days and other all meats within 4 to 5 days.
Defrost Foods Safely
Completely defrost meat and/or poultry before Barbecuing so that it cooks more evenly. Use the refrigerator for slow, safe thawing or thaw sealed packages in cold water. You can microwave defrost if the food will be placed immediately on the cooking heat.
Marinating Foods
Meat and poultry can be marinated for several hours or days to tenderize or add flavor. Marinate food in the refrigerator, not on the counter. If some of the marinade is to be used as a sauce on the cooked food, reserve a portion of the marinade before putting raw meat and poultry in it. However, if the marinade used on raw meat or poultry is to be reused, make sure to let it come to a boil first to destroy any harmful bacteria.
Transporting Foods
When carrying food to another location, keep it cold to minimize bacterial growth. Use an insulated cooler with sufficient ice or ice packs to keep the food at 40° or below. Pack food right from the refrigerator into the cooler immediately before leaving home. Keep the cooler in the coolest part of the car.
Keep Cold Food Cold
Keep meat and poultry refrigerated until ready to use. Only take out the meat and/or poultry that will immediately be placed on the heat source.
When using a cooler, keep it out of the direct sun by placing it in the shade or shelter. Avoid opening the lid too often, which lets cold air out and warm air in. Pack beverages in one cooler and perishables in a separate cooler.
Keep Everything Clean
Be certain that all utensils and platters are clean. To prevent food-borne illness, don't use the same platter and utensils for raw and then cooked meat and poultry. Harmful bacteria present in raw meat and poultry and their juices can contaminate safely cooked food.
If you're eating away from home, find out if there's a source of clean water. If not, bring water for preparation and cleaning. Always pack clean cloths, and wet towels for cleaning surfaces and hands. It never hurts to bring along a little chlorine bleach for the cleaning.
Pre-Cooking Barbecue Foods
Pre-Cooking food partially in the crock pot, microwave, oven, or stove is a good way of reducing barbecuing time. Just make sure that the food goes immediately on the preheated fire to complete the cooking.
Cook BBQ Thoroughly
Cook food to a safe internal temperature to destroy harmful bacteria. Meat and poultry cooked on a grill often browns very fast on the outside. Use a food thermometer to be sure the food has reached a safe internal temperature. Whole poultry should reach 180°; breasts, 170°. Hamburgers made of ground beef should reach 160°; ground poultry, 165°. Beef, veal, and lamb steaks, roasts and chops can be cooked to 145°. All cuts of pork should reach 160°.
Re-Heating BBQ
When reheating fully cooked meats, grill to 165° or until steaming hot.
Keep Hot Food Hot
After cooking meat and poultry on the grill, keep it hot until served - at 140° or warmer. Keep cooked meats hot by setting them to the side of the grill rack, not directly over the coals where they could overcook. At home, the cooked meat can be kept hot in a warm oven (approximately 200°), in a chafing dish or slow cooker, or on a warming tray.
Serving Your Barbecue Food
When taking food off the heat, use a clean platter. Don't put cooked food on the same platter that held raw meat or poultry. Any harmful bacteria present in the raw meat juices could contaminate safely cooked food.
In hot weather (above 90°), food should never sit out for more than 1 hour.
Barbecue Leftovers
Refrigerate any leftovers promptly in shallow containers. Discard any food left out more than 2 hours (1 hour if temperatures are above 90°).
Pit Roasting
Pit roasting is cooking meat in a large, level hole dug in the earth. A hardwood fire is built in the pit, requiring wood equal to about 2½ times the volume of the pit. The hardwood is allowed to burn until the wood reduces and the pit is half filled with burning coals. This can require 4 to 6 hours burning time.
Cooking may require 10 to 12 hours or more and is difficult to estimate. A meat thermometer must be used to determine the meat's safety and doneness. There are many variables such as outdoor temperature, the size and thickness of the meat, moisture content and how fast the coals are cooking the meats.
For Further Information Contact:
FSIS Food Safety Education Staff
Meat and Poultry Hotline:
1-888-MPHotline (1-888-674-6854) - Tollfree Nationwide
1-800-256-7072 (TDD/TTY)
E-mail: mphotline.fsis@usda.gov
