Its that time of year again. Lets be safe.

BBQ Safety and the "Danger Zone"

 It’s that time of year where we gather with friends and family to enjoy the great weather, holidays and the general outdoors.

 We make our potato salad; bbq chicken, macaroni salad, hamburgers and hot dogs at home pack them for the road and then set them out for the long hot day and the fun in the sun.

 And that brings us to the possible issues that we might encounter.

During the times that our dishes are sitting on the picnic table, they are becoming a potential breeding ground for bacteria that makes them a hazard to our family and friends.

There is a term called the “danger zone” when it comes to food and that is the temp zone that is the best time for bacteria to double, triple to dangerous levels.

That “danger zone” is 40° – 140 ° (please note this is a range the federal standard is higher, however, keeping it safe is never a bad thing)

Here are a few steps we can take to make sure that our food is safe to enjoy.

Wait before I do that keep in mind food that sits out longer than 4 hours should be thrown away. Would you want to go to a buffet and when you ask… “When was this food made?” the server say “oh about 6 hours ago!” Care for a plate?

Make sure if you have cold items such as salads they are kept cold.

• Putting a bowl of ice under the item that will keep it cold
• Keep item refrigerated until ready to serve
• Keep item in cooler until someone asks for it
• Only put a portion of the item out for service and when it runs low refill accordingly
• Break your portions out into smaller cups and keep them on ice
•  Make sure hot items are kept hot

When you make items from the grill put them in a chafing dish with a lit Sterno to maintain the temperature

Don’t make 100 hot dogs at one time when only 10 guests have arrived and you are expecting more

If an item has been sitting put it back on the grill to get it back up above 165° so it is safe to eat

 Clean your cooking and prep surfaces      

Always wipe down areas if you intend to prep several types of meat

Clean your grill between cooking different items Yes I know the juices from the food make it taste better, however, chicken roasted vegetables is not really the goal now is it?

 Always keep in mind that the safer your food handling procedures the less likely it is that your food will do anything to your guests but make them happy!