“Marinade or marinate?”

These English words come from

the Italian word “marinato.”

Marinade (MAIR-uh-naid) is a

savory acidic sauce in which a food

is soaked to enrich its flavor or to

tenderize it.

Marinate (MAIR-uh-nait) is a verb

which means to steep food in a

marinade.

CONSUMER INFORMATION FROM USDA

Food Safety and Inspection Service, Food Safety & Consumer Education Office

 (202) 690-0351; Fax (202) 720-9063

Slightly Revised June 1997

Barbecue Food Safety

Get Ready! Get Set! Go!

Warm weather is the ideal time to TRANSPORTING. When carrying food

cook out: more people cook

outdoors in summer than any other

time of the year.

 But warm temperatures are also

ideal for bacteria and other

pathogens to multiply and cause

foodborne illness. Use these simple

guidelines for grilling food safely.

FROM THE STORE: HOME FIRST.

When shopping for meat and poultry,

put them in the shopping cart last,

right before checkout. To guard

against cross contamination -- which

can happen when raw meat or

poultry juices drip on other foods --

put packages of raw meat and poultry

into plastic bags.

 Load meat and poultry into the air

conditioned car--not the trunk--and

take the groceries straight home. In

the summer, if home is more than a

30-minute drive away, bring a cooler

with ice from home and place

perishable food in it for the trip. 

 At home, place meat and poultry in

the refrigerator immediately. Freeze

poultry and ground meat that won’t

be used in 1 or 2 days; freeze other

meat within 4 to 5 days.

DEFROST SAFELY. Completely thaw

meat and poultry before grilling so it

cooks more evenly. Use the

refrigerator for slow, safe thawing;

microwave defrost if the food will be

placed immediately on the grill; or

thaw sealed packages in cold water.

MARINATING. Some recipes state to

marinate meat and poultry for several

hours or days, either to tenderize or

add flavor. Always marinate food in

the refrigerator, not on the counter.

 If some of the marinade is to be

used as a sauce on the cooked food,

reserve a portion of the marinade.

Don’t put raw meat and poultry in it. 

Don’t re-use the marinade used on

raw meat or poultry unless it’s boiled

first to destroy any bacteria.

PRE-COOKING. Some people like to

cook food partially in the microwave,

oven, or stove to reduce grilling time.

Pre-cook immediately before grilling

to destroy bacteria. 

Call Toll-free For More

Information:

USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline

1 (800) 535-4555

Washington DC (202) 720-3333

Web site: http://www.usda.gov/fsis

Fast Fax: 1 (800) 238-8281

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 they won’t be eaten

within two hours of pickup, buy them

ahead of time and chill thoroughly.

 Use an insulated cooler with

sufficient ice or ice packs to keep the

food at 40 F. Then pack food right o

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.

KEEP COLD FOOD COLD. 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.

KEEP EVERYTHING CLEAN. Be sure

there are plenty of clean utensils and

platters for separately handling the

raw foods and the food after cooking.

 Don’t 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 summer foodborne illness.

 Pack clean, soapy sponges, cloths

and wet towelettes for cleaning

surfaces and hands.
Barbecue Grill Out!

Food Safely

“Barbecue” is the preferred way

dictionary and publication style guides

recommend spelling the cooking

method of spit roasting a whole

animal over an open fire or pit.

 The word origin is the American

Spanish word “barbacoa.” Bar-B-Q,

barbeque and B-B-Q are coined

words.

 A grill is a utensil made of parallel

bars on which food is cooked, usually

over a fire or electricity. Grilling food is

similar to broiling over direct heat.

Smoking is cooking food indirectly

over a fire. 

 But however you prefer to spell it,

or whatever you call it, barbecuing

food SAFELY is what’s important.

Cook Thoroughly

Meat and poultry cooked on a grill

often browns very fast on the outside.

Use a meat thermometer to be sure

the food has reached a safe internal

temperature.

 Whole poultry should reach 180 F; o

breasts, 170 F. Juices should run o 

clear. Hamburgers made of any

ground meat or poultry should reach

160 F. Beef, veal and lamb steaks, o

roasts and chops can be cooked to

145 F. All cuts of pork should reach o

160 F. o

 NEVER partially grill meat or poultry

and finish cooking later. Cook food

completely to destroy harmful

bacteria. When reheating take-out

foods or fully cooked meats like hot

dogs, grill to 165 F, or until steaming o

hot.

KEEP HOT FOODS HOT! 

After cooking meat and poultry on the

grill -- at home or on a picnic -- keep

it hot until served. 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. After cooking, hold hot food at

140° F or warmer.

SERVING THE FOOD. When

taking food off the grill, don’t put the

cooked items on the same platter

which 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.

 

HANDLING LEFTOVERS. 

At home, store leftovers in the

refrigerator or freezer within 2 hours

of taking food off the grill. Leftovers

that have been off the grill for less than

1 hour can be safely transported

home in a cooler -- if there’s plenty of

ice in it.

 Discard any food left out more than

2 hours (1 hour in hot weather).

Safe Grilling Checks

! Take meat and poultry straight

home from the store and refrigerate.

! Marinate foods in refrigerator.

! Don’t reuse marinade unless

boiled.

! Pre-cook immediately before

placing food on grill.

! Don’t use the same platter and

utensils for raw and cooked meats.

SAFE SMOKING

TECHNIQUES.

Grilling slowly over indirect heat in a

closed charcoal cooker is called

“smoking.” It is used to add flavor to

large cuts of meat and keep them

tender. It can require up to 8 hours,

depending on the meat’s size and the

outdoor air temperature.

 Use high quality charcoal to build a

hot fire. Pile about 50 briquets 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.

 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.

 Center the food on the grill over the

water pan, close the lid and keep the

grill vents open. The temperature in

the smoker should be maintained at

250° to 300° F for safety. Add about 9

coals every 1 to 2 hours.

PIT ROASTING.

For information on pit roasting a

whole animal, contact local or state

extension offices, or a land-grant

university.

Does Grilling Pose a

Cancer Risk?

Some studies have suggested there

may be a cancer risk related to eating

food cooked by such high heat

cooking techniques as grilling, frying,

and broiling. Based on present

research findings, eating moderate

amounts of grilled meats like fish,

meat, and poultry cooked without

charring to a safe, yet medium

temperature does not pose a

problem. To avoid charring, microwave meat partly done immediately

before placing it on the grill and

remove visible fat than can drip on the

coals and cause a flame-up.