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Food Safety for Outdoor Cookouts

HGIC 3543

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Grilling vs. Smoking

Grilling: Grilling is cooking food over direct heat. Its intensity is similar to broiling, so tender meats and poultry are best for grilling. A grill is a utensil made of parallel bars on which food is cooked over charcoal, wood or special rocks heated by gas or electricity.

Smoking: Smoking is cooking food indirectly in the presence of a fire. It can be done in a covered grill if a pan of water is placed beneath the meat on the grill; or meats can be smoked in a “smoker,” which is an outdoor cooker especially designed for smoking foods. Smoking is done much more slowly than grilling, so less-tender meats benefit from this method, and a natural smoke flavoring permeates the meat. The temperature in the smoker should be maintained at 250 to 300 °F for safety.

Safe Marinating

Some recipes state to marinate meat and poultry for several hours or days, either to tenderize or add flavor. Acid in the marinade breaks down connective tissue in meats. This is especially beneficial in lean meats, such as “ Select” grade, which do not have a lot of fat marbling to enhance tenderness. Always marinate food in the refrigerator, not on the counter. If some of the marinade is to be used for basting during cooking or as a sauce on the cooked food, reserve a portion of the marinade. Do not put raw meat and poultry in it. Do not reuse the marinade from raw meat or poultry on cooked food unless it is boiled first to destroy any bacteria.

Pre-Cooking Meat

Some people like to cook food partially in the microwave oven or on the stove to reduce grilling time. Some like to partially grill meats to give it that smoky flavor, and then refrigerate or freeze the food to complete the cooking at a later date. Holding partially cooked food is not recommended because any bacteria present would not have been destroyed. If you choose to pre-cook meat or poultry, do so immediately before grilling. Once food is on the grill, cook until it reaches a safe temperature as determined with a meat thermometer.

Grilling Away From Home

When carrying food to a picnic site, keep it cold to minimize bacterial growth. If take-out foods such as fried chicken or barbecued beef will be reheated on the grill, and the food will not be eaten within two hours of pickup, buy them ahead of time and chill thoroughly.

Place raw meat packages in plastic bags and pack separately from canned drinks and ready-to-eat foods that might otherwise become contaminated.

Use an insulated cooler with sufficient ice or ice packs to keep the food at 40 °F. Pack food right from the refrigerator into the cooler immediately before leaving home.

• In the car, keep the cooler in the air-conditioned passenger compartment; at the picnic, in the shade or shelter.
• Avoid opening the cooler’s lid, which lets cold air out and warm air in. Pack beverages in one cooler and perishables in another cooler.
• When handling raw meat, remove from the cooler only the amount that will fit on the grill.

Preparation

Handling: Pack clean, soapy sponges, cloths and wet towelettes for cleaning surfaces and hands. Be sure there are plenty of clean utensils and platters for separately handling the raw foods and the cooked foods. Do not use the same platter and utensils for raw and cooked meat and poultry. Any bacteria present in raw meat or juices can contaminate the safely cooked meat. This is a prime cause of foodborne illness.

Cooking Equipment: For grilling and smoking, buy good-quality charcoal, briquettes or aromatic wood chips. Set the grill or smoker in a well-lit, well-ventilated area away from trees, shrubbery and buildings. Only use approved fire starter, never gasoline or paint thinner, for example. Cook foods in grills made of materials approved for contact with meat and poultry. Do not grill or smoke foods in makeshift containers such as galvanized steel cans or other materials not intended for cooking. Chemical residue contamination can result.

Building a Fire: Keep children and pets away from the fire. Have a squirt bottle of ater nearby to control flare-ups. Do not wear baggy clothes. Use flame-resistant mitts, hot pads and cooking utensils with long handles. Follow the manufacturer’s directions for igniting charcoal or preheating a gas or electric outdoor cooker.

Let charcoal get red-hot with gray ash, about 10 to 20 minutes depending upon the quantity. Spread out the charcoal under the grilling surface or bank it around the drip pan for smoking. Replenish charcoal if necessary for grilling. Add about 15 briquettes every hour to maintain 225 to 300 °F in a smoker. For hickory-smoked flavor, add a half-cup water-soaked wood chips or flakes during the last 30 minutes of smoking.

Safe Cooking

Use long-handled tongs when placing or turning meat on the grill to avoid the loss of juices that keep meat moist and tender. Piercing meat with a fork or knife can also affect food safety. Bacteria are normally found only on the external surface, so roasts and steaks cooked to an internal temperature of 145 °F will be safe since the outside will reach a temperature high enough to kill the surface bacteria. However, if a steak is poked or stabbed, these bacteria can be pushed inside, and then the meat must be cooked to 160 °F, the same as hamburger. Wash tongs that have been used on raw meat, or use a separate set of tongs for removing cooked meat, poultry and seafood from the grill.

Cooking Times: Cooking time depends on many factors: type of meat; its size and shape; distance of food from the heat; the temperature of the coals; and the weather. Use a thermometer to be sure foods reach proper temperatures to destroy any bacteria present. Cook beef, lamb and veal steaks, roasts and chops to 145 °F for medium rare or 160 °F for medium. Cook ground meats and all cuts of pork to 160 °F. Cook poultry to 165 °F. These temperatures ensure that foodborne bacteria have been destroyed. For reasons of personal taste or texture preferences, consumers may choose to cook meat and poultry to higher temperatures.

When using a sauce, apply during the last 15 to 30 minutes of grilling to prevent excess browning or burning. Refer to the table on the next page for grilling times and internal temperatures.

Safe Smoking Techniques

• Smoking can require up to eight hours, depending on the meat’s size and the outdoor air temperature.
• Use high quality charcoal to build a hot fire. Pile about 50 briquettes in the center, and when they are covered with grey ash, push them into two piles. Center a pan of water between the two piles.
• Center the food on the grill over the water pan; close the lid and keep the grill vents open. Add about 10 briquettes every hour to maintain the temperature in the smoker at 250 to300 °F for safety. Wood chips such as mesquite are used for additional flavor. Using dry chips at the start creates a fast smoke; wet them later for sustained heat.
• Use a meat thermometer to be sure the food has reached a safe internal temperature.

Keeping Meat Hot

After cooking meat and poultry on the grill, at home or on a picnic, keep it hot until served. Outdoors, keep the cooked meats hot by setting them to the side of the grill rack, not directly over the coals where they would eventually overcook. At home, the cooked meat can be kept hot in a 200 °F oven, in a chafing dish or slow cooker or on a warming tray. Hold hot, cooked food at 140 °F or warmer.

Approximate Grilling Times for Meat and Poultry

Item	Size	Grilling/Smoking*	Internal Temp (ºF)
*To smoke, cover to use indirect heat and use a drip pan rather than direct heat when grilled. DO NOT STUFF.
Beef
Steaks	¾ inch thick	3-4 min./side 4-5 min./side	Medium rare 145 Medium 160
Kebabs	1-inch cubes	3-4 min/side	145-160
Hamburger patties	½ inch thick	3 min/side	Medium 160
Roast, rolled rump and sirloin tip (indirect heat)	4-6 lbs 3½ - 4 lbs	18-22 min/lb (smoked*) 20-25 min/lb (smoked*)	145-160
Ribs, Back	Cut in 1-rib portions	10 min/side	Medium 160
Tenderloin	2-3 lbs (half) 4-6 lbs (whole)	10-12 min/side 12-15 min/side	Medium rare 145 Medium 160
Ham
Fully cooked (indirect heat)	Any size	8-10 min/lb (smoked*)	140
Cook-before-eating (indirect heat)	Whole, 10-14 lbs Half, 5-7 lb.	10-15 min/lb (smoked*) 12-18 min/lb (smoked*)	160
Lamb
Chops, shoulder, loin or rib	1-inch thick	5 min/side	145-160
Steaks, sirloin or leg	1-inch thick	5 min/side	145-160
Kebabs	1-inch cubes	4 min/side	145-160
Patties, ground	4 oz, ½-inch thick	3 min/side	Medium 160
Leg, butterflied	4-7 lbs.	40-50 minutes total	145-160
Pork, Fresh
Chops, bone-in or boneless	¾ -inch thick 1½ -inch thick	3-4 min/side 7-8 min/side	Medium 160
Tenderloin	½-1½ lbs	15-25 minutes total	Medium 160
Ribs (indirect heat)	2-4 lbs	1½- 2 hours (smoked*)	Fork tender
Patties, ground	½-inch thick	4-5 min/side	Medium 160
Veal
Chops, steak	1-inch thick	5-7 min/side	145-160
Roast, boneless (indirect heat)	2-3 lbs	18-20 min/lb (smoked*)	145-160
Venison
Roast, saddle or leg	6-7 lbs	25-30 min/lb.	145-160
Steaks	¾ -inch thick	4-5 min/side 6-7 min/side	Medium rare 145 Medium 160
Chicken
Whole (indirect heat), not stuffed: Broiler fryer Roasting hen Capon Cornish hens	3-4 lbs 5-7 lbs 4-8 lbs 18-24 oz	Smoked*, not grilled: 60-75 minutes (smoked*) 18-25 min/lb (smoked*) 15-20 min/lb (smoked*) 45-55 minutes (smoked*)	165 measured in the thigh
Breast halves, bone-in Boneless	6-8 oz each 4 oz each	10-15 min/side 6-8 min/side	165
Legs or thighs Drumsticks Wings, wingettes	4-8 oz each 4 oz 2-3 oz	10-15 min/side 8-12 min/side 8-12 min/side	165
Duck Or Goose
Duckling, breast or parts		30 to 40 minutes	165
Whole duckling (indirect heat)	4-6 lbs	2½ hours (smoked*)
Goose, young, cut up		35 to 40 minutes	165
Whole young goose (indirect heat)	8-12lbs	2½ hours (smoked*)
Turkey
Whole turkey (indirect heat) Not recommended over 16 lbs	8-12 lbs. 12-16 lbs.	2-3 hours (smoked*) 3-4 hours (smoked*)	165 measured in thigh
Breast, bone-in	4-7 lbs.	1-1¾ hours	165
Thighs, drumsticks (indirect heat) Direct heat (precook 1 hour)	12-16 oz.	1½-2 hours (smoked*) 8-10 min/side	165

Serving and Leftovers

Serving: When taking food off the grill, do not put the cooked items on the same platter that held the raw meat. Any bacteria present in the raw meat juices could contaminate the safely cooked meat or other grilled foods. In hot weather (90 °F and above), food should never sit out for more than one hour.

Leftovers: At home, store leftovers in the refrigerator or freezer within two hours of taking food off the grill. Leftovers that have been off the grill for less than one hour can be safely transported home in a cooler, if there is plenty of ice in it. Discard any food left out more than two hours.

Source:
1. USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service. (April 2006.) Smoking Meat and Poultry. http://www.fsis.usda.gov/Fact_Sheets/Smoking_Meat_and_Poultry/index.asp
2. USDA/ FSIS. (April 2007). Barbecue and Food Safety. http://www.fsis.usda.gov/Fact_Sheets/Barbecue_Food_Safety/index.asp
3. USDA/FSI.S (April 2006). Duck and Goose from Farm to Table. http://www.fsis.usda.gov/Fact_Sheets/Duck_&_Goose_from_Farm_to_Table/index.asp