Food Safety
Food safety is a very important part of enjoying the outdoor cooking experience. To keep food safe from harmful bacteria,
foilow these four basic steps:
Clean: Wash hands, utensils, and surfaces with hot soapy water before and after handling raw meat and poultry.
Separate: Separate raw meats and poultry from ready-to-eat
foods to avoid cross contamination. Use a clean platter and
utensils when removing cooked foods.
Cook: Cook meat and poultry thoroughly to kilt bacteria. Use a thermometer to ensure proper internal food temperatures.
Chill: Refrigerate prepared foods and leftovers promptly. For more information call: USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline at
1-800-535-4555
(In Washington,
DC (202) 720-3333, 10:00 am
4:00 pm EST).
How To Tell If Meat
Is Grilled
Thoroughly
• Meat and poultry cooked
on a grilt often browns very fast on the outside. Use a meat thermometer
to be sure food has
reached a safe internal temperature,
and cut into food to check for visual signs of doneness.
• Whole poultry should reach 180° F; breasts, 170° F. Juices should run clear and flesh should not be pink.
• Hamburgers made of any ground meat or poultry should reach 160° F, and be brown in the middle with no pink juices. Beef,
veal and lamb steaks, roasts and chops can be cooked to 145° F.Aii cuts of pork should reach 160° F.
• NEVER partialiy grill meat or poultry and finish cooking later. Cook food completely
to destroy harmful bacteria.
• When reheating takeout foods or fully cooked meats like hot dogs, grill to 165° F,or until steaming hot.
WARNING: To ensurethat it is safe to eat, food must be cooked
to the minimuminternal temperatures listed in the table below.
USDA* RecommendedSafe Minimum Internal Temperatures
Beef, Veal, Lamb and Pork - Whole Cuts _
Fish
Beef, Veal, Lamb and Pork - Ground
Egg Dishes
Turkey, Chicken
& Duck -
Whole,
Pieces &
Ground
United States Department of Agriculture
145° F
145° F
160° F
160° F
165° F
_Altow
meat to rest three minutes before carving or consuming.
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