WITH summer approaching Brits up and down the country are dusting off their barbecues ready for the warm weather.
While everyone loves the taste of a freshly grilled burger, if done incorrectly you could end up with serious food poisoning.
Your barbecue area could end up as a breeding ground for salmonella, E.Coli and campylobacter, which can cause diarrhoea, vomiting and stomach craps.
Before preparing or cooking your food, you want to make sure your grill is clean.
While you may want to scrub it before lighting the coals, heat will actually help loosen grease and burnt-on bits of food, making it easier to remove.
BBC Good Food states: “Cleaning the grill is easiest after a quick pre-heat, before your cooking starts.
Cleaning the grill is easiest after a quick pre-heat, before your cooking starts
Good Food
“The heat will loosen charred-on grease.”
Hot soapy water and a good scrub should help lift dirt and grease after a quick pre-heat, then you’re ready to get cooking.
Aside from undercooked food, potential sources of food poisoning can come from marinades.
Some people want to give their meat an extra kick so leave it overnight in a sauce, but this can become a breeding ground for germs.
If you’ve put raw meat in a marinade, make sure to throw it away and not use it as a sauce or to baste food on the barbecue.
And you should always marinade your meat in the fridge, particularly during summer, as bacteria thrives at room temperature.
The BBC noted: “Bacteria grows at room temperature fast enough to cause food poisoning in less than an hour.”
Another potential source of bacteria is from cross-contamination, including utensils, plates and surfaces.
It’s important to keep raw and cooked food separate, using different chopping boards, cutlery and crockery for each.
Never put raw and cooked food on the same plate, even if they’re not touching, as juices can still run and contaminate cooked food.
The same goes for the grill, as you shouldn’t let raw and ready food touch each other.
To try and prevent this from happening you can separate out different sections on the BBQ, using foil if you like.
The safest option is to fully cook food in your oven and then put the cooked food on the barbecue
NHS
And if preparing food in your kitchen, wipe down any surfaces which have come into contact with raw meat, and don’t reuse oven trays or pans without thoroughly cleaning them first.
Undercooked food is one of the biggest health hazards when barbecuing, and you can end up poisoning all your guests.
Ensure your barbecue is hot enough before you start cooking – wait until your coals are glowing red with a powdery grey surface.
Food should always be stored in a cool place before being put on the grill, and frozen food should have been defrosted thoroughly, ideally in the fridge overnight.
For most meats, the NHS states it’s safe to eat when: “The meat’s steaming hot throughout, there’s no pink meat visible when you cut into the thickest part, any juices run clear.”
Some meat, such as beef or lamb, can be served rare as long as the outside has been thoroughly cooked.
The NHS advises pre-cooking food in the oven to ensure bacteria is killed, saying: “The safest option is to fully cook food in your oven and then put the cooked food on the barbecue for a short time so the flavour can develop.”
Another potential source for bacteria to spread is via hands, so it’s crucial to make sure you wash your hands after touching or handling raw or partially-cooked meat.
The NHS says: “One of the main ways that germs are spread is from hands.
“Harmful bacteria can be spread very easily from your hands to food, work surfaces and equipment.”
As well as hot food, you should also ensure cold food stays cool to prevent food poisoning, including salads, dips, dairy products, sandwiches and cooked rice.
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