Barbecue Food Safety
Instances of food poisoning double within the summer months, therefore be sure you know the easy steps that will help to keep food safe.
Food poisoning is generally mild, and most individuals get better inside a week. But occasionally it can be worse, even deadly, therefore it’s important to take the dangers seriously. Kids, older people and people along with weakened natural defenses are especially vulnerable to food poisoning.
"The safest option would be to cook food indoors using your oven," says a spokesperson from the Food Standards Agency (Fsay). "You may then put the cooked food outside on the barbecue for flavour." This can be an simpler option if you are cooking for a number of individuals at the same time.
But if you prefer to cook on the barbeque, the two primary risk elements are:
Undercooked meat
Spreading germs through uncooked meat onto food that’s ready to eat
This is because uncooked or undercooked meat can contain germs that cause food poisoning, for example salmonella, E.coli as well as campylobacter. However, it’s easy to destroy these types of germs by cooking meat until it's piping hot throughout.
Cooking meat on a bbq
When you are cooking any kind of meat on a barbecue, such as poultry (chicken or even turkey), pork, steak, burgers or sausages, make certain:
The hot coals are glowing red with a powdery grey surface before you begin cooking, as this means that they're hot enough.
Frozen meat is properly thawed out before you decide to cook it.
You turn the meat regularly and move it around the barbecue to cook it evenly.
Keep in mind that meat is safe to consume only when:
It is actually piping hot in the middle.
There isn't any pink meat visible.
Any juices are clear.
"Don’t assume that simply because meat is charred on the exterior it will be cooked properly inside," states 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 middle) as long as the exterior has been properly cooked. This can kill any kind of germs that might be on the exterior of the meat. However, food produced from minced meat, for example sausages and hamburgers, must be cooked completely all the way through.
Uncooked meat
Germs from raw meat can move easily onto your hands, and then on to anything else you touch, including food that is prepared and ready to consume. This is known as cross-contamination.
Cross-contamination can happen if raw 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 each time you touch raw meat.
Use separate utensils (plates, tongs, storage containers) for cooked and uncooked meat.
Never put cooked food on a plate or surface that has had uncooked meat on it.
Keep raw meat in a covered pot away from foods that are ready to eat, such as salads and buns.
Don’t place uncooked meat next to cooked or partly-cooked meat on the bbq.
Don’t put sauce or marinade on cooked food if it was already used with uncooked meat.
Keeping food cool
It’s also vital that you keep a few foods cool to avoid food-poisoning bacteria multiplying.
Be sure you keep the subsequent foods cool:
Salads
Dips
Milk, cream, yogurt
Desserts as well as cream cakes
Sandwiches
Ham along with other cooked meats
Cooked rice, such as rice salads
Do not leave food out of the fridge for more than a couple of hours, and don’t leave food under the sun.
See the Food Standard Agency's GermWatch campaign.
Fire safety
Make certain your barbecue is steady on a level surface, away from vegetation and trees and shrubs.
The fire Service recommends covering the bottom of your bbq with coal to a depth of a maximum of 5cm (2in). Use only recognised firelighters or starter fuel, and then only upon cold coals.
In no way use petrol on the bbq.
Looking for a Gas BBQ or a Charcoal BBQ or even a Patio Heater
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