Australians eat more meat than any other country in the world . And a good chunk of that probably ends up on the grill, given own a barbecue.
That means there’s a real risk of food poisoning. Around become ill due to food poisoning every year, yet many of these illness are preventable. The two main dangers with grilling meat come from spreading germs from raw meat to food that’s ready to eat, and from eating undercooked meat.
Why is raw meat risky?
“Raw meats are often contaminated with food poisoning bacteria due to the way that they are processed,” Associate Professor Martyn Kirk and Head of the Master of Philosophy in Applied Epidemiology (MAE) at Australian National University tells SBS. “This is why raw meat needs to be treated with special care when you are preparing and serving foods. People can become ill when they ingest foods with enough bacteria to result in an infection.”
Cross-contamination – where germs are transferred from raw meat to food that’s ready to eat – is a common problem at barbecues. It can happen if you use the use the same chopping board for raw meat and other ready-to-eat foods, such as salads. Another common issue is putting cooked meat back on the same tray or plate you used to take it to the barbecue . “Using the same tray to take raw meat (and juices) out to the barbecue and taking it back inside on the same tray once it is cooked, can cause result in infection,” Professor Kitk says.
“In addition, the meat might not be cooked all the way through. This is particularly important for chicken meat, as it is more likely to be contaminated with bacteria than other meats.”
Cooking meat thoroughly is highly effective in killing bacteria on food, which is why it's so important to do this correctly, says Kirk.
Before serving your guests, take a moment to check the temperature of the meat. “The colour of meat does not always indicate how well it is cooked,” says Kirk. “The best way to tell if your meat is fully cooked is by using a kitchen tip sensitive thermometer, particularly for big pieces of meat where the temperature may be quite uneven.”
If you don’t have a thermomenter, making sure you turn the meat regularly, so it cooks evenly, is another good tip.
Government health advice service Health Direct also that if you want to serve meat such as steaks rare, making sure the outside has been cooked thoroughly will kill bacteria on the outside of the meat. However, food made from minced meat, such as sausages and rissoles, must be cooked thoroughly.
Here's one for your next cook-up, from Food Safari Fire: that turns meltingly tender after marinating over night.
Source: Toufic Charabati
Store cooked meats and other eats safely
Post-party food care is just as important. “The temperature danger zone where food poisoning can occur is between 5 and 60°C,” Accredited Practising Dietitian Jessa Obeid tells SBS. “After you have cooked your meals and you’re planning to pack up your leftovers, ensure perishable foods such as cooked meats, rice dishes and dairy are not stored in the temperature danger zone for more than two to four hours. When food is kept between this temperature zone for too long, food-borne bacteria can grow to unsafe levels which could cause food poisoning.”
Obeid also recommends that your fridge is set below 5 degrees Celsius to keep food cool, and that if any food has been left out longer than four hours, to throw it away. The best rule, says Obeid, is “if in doubt, throw it out!”. (Health Direct suggests cooked food should be left out for no more than two hours in warm temperatures).
None of this is meant to make your barbecue any less fun. It’s pretty simple, and you probably do most of it anyway – wash your hands and utensils before and after touching raw meat; cook meat carefully; don’t put it back on the same tray that had raw meat; and get your leftovers into a fridge or esky without too much delay.
Find more expert advice on safe eating outdoors, including picnics and camping trips, in .
