USDA recommends food safety precautions for grilling ahead of Fourth of July

SAN ANTONIO – As Fourth of July celebrations begin next week, the United States Department of Agriculture has several food safety tips for a tasty holiday.

“Fourth of July is a great time to use the grill and smoker to cook delicious meats and poultry,” said Dr. Emilio Esteban, Under Secretary for Food Safety, in a press release. “Whichever method you use, reduce your risk of foodborne illness by using a food thermometer to measure the safe minimum internal temperature, and reduce cross-contamination by using separate utensils for raw and cooked meat and poultry.”

• Thaw meat or poultry first. When using a smoker, food cooks at a low temperature, so if you use frozen foods, it takes too long to reach a safe internal temperature. This would allow bacteria to grow. You can use a grill to cook frozen meats, but cooking them might take longer.
• Marinate in the refrigerator. Don’t leave the meat on the counter; put it inside the fridge after marinating it. If you plan to baste the meat, set aside a portion of the marinade to prevent raw meat from contaminating cooked meat. If you use the marinade on cooked meat that has touched raw meat, ensure that you boil the sauce to destroy harmful bacteria before using it.
• Keep raw meat and poultry separate. Always use different cutting boards and utensils on cooked and raw meat. This helps avoid cross-contamination with bacteria.
• Keep the smoker and grill at a safe temperature. You will need two thermometers if you use a smoker or grill to smoke meats. One will determine a safe minimum temperature, and the second will monitor the air temperature in the smoker or grill to stay between 225 and 300 degrees throughout the cooking process.
• Cook meats at a safe internal temperature using thermometers. Before removing meats from the heat, the USDA recommends it at 145 degrees. That includes beef, pork, lamb and veal steaks, and pork chops. You can cook 160 degrees for ground beef, pork, lamb, and veal throughout the cooking process. Poultry can be cooked at 165 degrees.