Investigating BBQ Food Safety

by

Scott Morris

Bbq Food Safety

Instances of food poisoning double within the summer months, therefore make sure you know the easy steps that will help to keep food safe.

Food poisoning is usually mild, and most people improve inside a week. But sometimes it may be more severe, even deadly, so it is important to take the risks seriously. Kids, seniors and people along with weakened natural defenses are especially vulnerable to food poisoning.

“The safest option is to cook food indoors using your oven,” states a spokesperson from the Food Standards Agency (Fsay). “You may then place the cooked food outside on the bbq for flavour.” This can be an easier option if you are cooking food for a lot of individuals at the same time.

But if you prefer to cook on the barbecue, the two primary risk factors tend to be:

undercooked meat

spreading germs through uncooked meat on to food thats ready to consume

The reason being raw or even undercooked meat may contain germs that cause food poisoning, such as salmonella, E.coli as well as campylobacter. However, its easy to kill these types of germs by cooking meat till it is piping hot throughout.

Cooking meat on the barbecue

When youre cooking any kind of meat on a bbq, such as chicken (chicken or even turkey), pork, steak, burgers or sausages, make sure:

The hot coals are glowing red with a powdery grey surface before you begin cooking, as which means that they’re hot enough.

Frozen meat is properly thawed before you decide to cook it.

You turn the actual meat frequently and move it around the barbecue to cook it evenly.

Remember that meat is safe to eat only when:

It is actually piping hot in the centre.

There isn’t any pink meat visible.

Any juices are clear.

“Dont assume that because meat is charred on the exterior it will be cooked properly inside,” says the Fsa spokesperson. “Cut the meat at the thickest part and ensure none of it is pink inside.”

Some meat, such as steaks and joints of beef or lamb, can be served rare (not cooked in the centre) so long as the outside has been correctly cooked. This will destroy any germs that could be on the outside of the meat. However, food made from minced meat, for instance sausages and burgers, must be cooked completely all the way through.

Raw meat

Germs from raw meat can move easily on to your hands, and then onto anything else you touch, including food that is cooked and ready to eat. This is known as cross-contamination.

Cross-contamination sometimes happens if uncooked meat touches anything (such as plates, utensils, tongs and chopping boards) which then comes into contact with other food.

Some simple steps to help avoid cross-contamination are:

Wash both hands after every time you contact raw meat.

Use separate utensils (dishes, tongs, storage containers) for cooked and raw meat.

Never place cooked food on a plate or surface that has had raw meat on it.

Keep uncooked meat inside a sealed container away from foods that are ready to consume, such as salads and buns.

Dont place uncooked meat next to cooked or partly-cooked meat on the barbecue.

Dont put sauce or marinade on cooked food if it has already been used with uncooked meat.

Keeping food cool

Its also important to keep a few foods cool to avoid food-poisoning germs spreading.

Make sure you keep the following foods cool:

salads

dips

milk, cream, yogurt

desserts and cream cakes

sandwiches

ham and other cooked meat

cooked rice, including rice salads

Dont leave meals out of the refrigerator for more than a couple of hours, and do not leave food under the sun.

See the Food Standard Agency’s GermWatch campaign.

Fire safety

Make sure your barbecue is steady on a level surface, away from vegetation and trees.

The fire Service recommends covering the bottom of your barbecue with coal to some depth of a maximum of 5cm (2in). Use only recognised firelighters or starter fuel, and then only on cold coals.

In no way use petrol on a barbecue.

If you would like to learn more about which barbecue suites your needs:http://www.bbqbarbecues.co.uk/http://www.bbqbarbecues.co.uk/charcoal-bbqs-3346-0000http://www.bbqbarbecues.co.uk/patio-bbqs-3348-0000

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Investigating BBQ Food Safety }