Tips for Keeping Your BBQ Food Safe From Bacteria

7/25/2022 (Permalink)

Ahhhh the smell of BBQ! Nothing says summer like the smell of something cooking on the grill. It makes you want to eat even if you’re not hungry. You sink your teeth into that juicy burger and thrown some more mustard on that grilled hotdog. It’s light out late, the backyard is nice and cool and life is good! Ever eat out or eat a BBQ and then not be feeling so good hours later? If you have ever gotten food poisoning or food borne related illness, you will never forget it! It can be horrible.  

It will take a long time (if ever) before you can even imagine eating anything that was cooked on the grill.  You may have even shied away from eating anything but the potato chips at a BBQ.  

We would love to see you enjoy a fun backyard BBQ again. So, come back to the grill. When done correctly food can be kept safe and not get contaminated.  

SERVPRO of White Plains has a few tips for keeping food safe and preventing foodborne illnesses when BBQing or grilling. 

Wash Your Hands! Seems obvious enough right? Hmmmm not so sure this is happening as often as it should be. 

Keep Your Food Cold. We hear a lot from our favorite food shows and magazines to let the meat come to room temp before you cook it. This does not apply to cooking outdoors. Keep it cold and put it on the grill cold. Letting it sit can allow bacteria to grow.  

Keep your raw and foods to be cooked separate. Don’t ever put cooked meat back on the same plate you had raw meat on. This will prevent the bacteria from the raw food from contaminating the cooked. 

If you are marinating your food, leave it in the fridge and not out on the table. Once you put the meat on the grill, throw away the marinade. Don’t use it to baste food, but instead make a separate marinade for basting. 

A food thermometer can become your summertime best friend. To kill harmful bacteria, burgers should be cooked to 160 degrees and chicken should be cooked to at least 170 degrees. Don’t cross contaminate your thermometers either. Buy a separate one for chicken. 

The staple potato salad. Everyone has their own recipe and thinks theirs is better than anyone else's. Keep any salad, especially salads with mayo, think potato, macaroni, coleslaw in the fridge until ready to eat. If you are putting it on the table, have a large bowl with ice under it to keep it cold. Mayo can turn on the dime before you know it.  

Enjoy your summer BBQs and be safe!