Summer BBQ Safety Tips to Avoid Illness

With summer comes along delicious barbecues with family and friends, and sometimes the occasional food poisoning.

Make sure your loved ones are safe this summer by following outdoor cooking safety advice from the Rockland County Department of Healthy.

“One of the most important steps is the simplest, yet one many people forget—wash your hands thoroughly before preparing, serving and eating food and while you are cooking—especially if you touch raw meat,” said Acting Rockland County Commissioner of Health Kathleen M. Henry, in a press release. “Use warm water and soap for at least 20 seconds.” 

Make sure you are serving your guests fully cooked meat by using a thermometer. Uncooked meat can give you E. coli, salmonella, severe illness and can even cause death.

While many judge whether a piece of meat is cooked by when the juice changes from red to gray, Henry warns that this is not an accurate test. You’ll want to push the thermometer in the center of the meat, which should be the least cooked part. 

The following foods should be cooked to these temperatures:

• Chicken 165º F
• Hamburger 160º F
• Pork 150º F
• Hot dogs 140º F
• Leftovers 165º F
• Eggs 145º F
• Other foods 140º F

Here are some other tips for a safe and healthy barbecue: 

• Marinated food should be kept in the refrigerator. Make sure not to taste marinade or re-use it after raw meat has been added 

• Thoroughly clean utensils before handling cooked meat

• Don’t place cooked meat and raw met on the same surface 

• Don’t serve food that drops below 140 degrees F within two hours 

• Keep cold foods refrigerated at 40º F or in coolers with lots of ice until it is served

• Leftovers should be put in the refrigerator immediately, and never leave food our for more than two hours or one hours in temperatures above 40º F

For more information call the New York State Health Department at 800-458-1158 or visit www.health.state.ny.us/environmental/indoors/food_safety/barbecue.htm.