Food Safety Tips for Smoking/Grillling
Chris Marks, 8 time Grand Champion
of the American Royal Cookoff Contest
Food Safty Tips and Tempatures
Measured with a food thermometer
|
Ground Meat & Meat Mixtures |
|
| Beef, Pork, Veal, Lamb | 160° F |
| Turkey, Chicken | 165° F |
| Fresh Beef, Veal Lamb | |
| Medium Rare | 145° F |
| Medium | 160° F |
| Well Done | 170° F |
| Poultry | |
| Chicken & Turkey, whole | 165° F |
| Poultry Parts | 165° F |
| Duck & Goose | 165° F |
| Stuffing (cooked alone or in bird) | 165° F |
| Fresh Pork | |
| Medium | 160° F |
| Well Done | 170° F |
| Ham | |
| Fresh (raw) | 160° F |
| Pre-cooked (to reheat) | 140° F |
| Seafood | |
| Fin fish | 145° F or until opaque & flakes easily with fork |
| Shrimp, Lobster & Crabs | Flesh pearly & opaque |
| Clams, Oysters & Mussels | Shells open during cooking |
| Scallops | Milky white or opaque & firm |
Food Safety Tips for Grilling
No matter what type of meat you’re cooking or what kind of Smoker/Grill you’re using, handling meats and poultry safely is crucial. Here are our tips.
Food Safety Tips for Smoking/Grilling
Follow these tips to ensure safe and tasty BBQ Smoking and grilling:
• Store raw meat in the refrigerator until you are ready to grill it, and marinate meat in the refrigerator, not on the countertop.
• Trim excess fat from meat to avoid flare-ups.
• Never use cooking sprays around a lit grill.
• Make sure your grill is hot before adding the meat. Allow and about 20 minutes for the lump charcoal to heat up.
• Don’t place cooked meat back on the plates or bowls that held the raw meat. Or, cover the plate with foil before placing raw meat on the plate; once the meat is on the grill, remove and discard the foil, and you have a clean plate for serving.
• Boil any leftover marinade that touched raw meat (including for basting) for at least one minute before reusing.
• Use a meat thermometer to make sure that the meat has reached a safe internal temperature. (See “How Hot Should It Be?” Above.) Color and feel are not accurate ways to check doneness. Make sure the thermometer isn’t touching any bone, as this could give a false reading.
• Refrigerate leftovers promptly.
