Every weekend (and many weeknights) I smell the sweet fragrance of backyard barbecues. The smell of roasting meats over charcoal practically lifts me off my feet and magnetically beckons toward the delicious prizes at the source of the smoke.
With this great power, backyard chefs should take care to follow some key food safety tips because no one wants to be the person that spreads a foodborne illness that will leave your families and friends sick.
Our Food Safety and Quality team offers four main topics to remember while hosting a backyard barbecue or cookout: Clean, Separate, Cook and Chill. These four steps will keep you and your food safe, and your guests coming back for seconds.
Wash your hands when handling food, and especially between handling raw and cooked foods. You should wash for at least 20 seconds and use a paper towel instead of your apron for a cloth towel since you can recontaminate your hands. As a reminder, even if you are away from running water, you can set up a portable hand washing setup with soap and a cooler full of water with which to rinse.
Avoid cross-contamination and use separate containers for raw and cooked foods. Do not put your perfectly grilled hamburgers back in the pan with the raw meat juices. Another tip is to make sure you separate your raw and ready-to-eat items in different plastic bags when you get them at the store. You do not want to risk getting raw chicken sloshed onto your ready-to-eat carrot sticks.
Make sure to have a good thermometer — and use it! There is no magic cooking time or poke test for chicken or burgers on the grill, no matter what your favorite grill master says. Take a good internal temperature reading and check it against the minimum internal temperature guidelines.
• Poultry (chicken, turkey, etc.): 165 degrees
• Ground meats, pork and lamb (hamburgers): 160 degrees
•Beef, pork, lamb, and veal (steaks, roasts and chops): 145 degrees with a 3-minute rest time
Keep hot foods hot and cold foods cold. Do not mix them up in your coolers, because then you will have warm food, and that’s a recipe for foodborne illness. Cold foods should be kept at or below 40 degrees until ready to use. As temperatures heat up, do not forget to buy an extra bag of ice to help keep your potato salad cool and safe.
If you follow these tips, you will be well on your way to having a fun and safe backyard cookout.
If you have questions about our Food Safety and Quality programs or any other area under the Extension umbrella, please reach out or stop by our office at 3200A W. Meighan Blvd., call us at 256-547-7936 or visit us on Facebook at https://bit.ly/3otwUdl or online at https://bit.ly/3yniPCx.
The Alabama Cooperative Extension System (Alabama A&M University and Auburn University) is an equal opportunity educator and employer. Everyone is welcome! Please let us know if you have accessibility needs.
Eric Wright is extension coordinator for the Etowah County Extension Office.