USDA, KDA stress food safety during holiday weekend

More Ag News

Ag News

The Kansas Department of Agriculture is joining with USDA to remind consumers to be food safe this 4th of July, when many of us will celebrate with tasty food from the grill.

"Following recommended food handling guidelines is important all year long, but especially during peak grilling season in the warm summer months," said Becky Pfannenstiel, manager of the Kansas Department of Agriculture's meat and poultry inspection program.

Following are the tips the two agencies offer for smoking and grilling food safely:

Use A Food Thermometer When Grilling or Smoking Food

Use a food thermometer to determine the temperature of the meat or poultry. Oven-safe thermometers can be inserted in the meat and remain there during smoking. Use an instant-read thermometer after the meat is removed from the smoker.

Cooking time depends on many factors: the type and cut of meat, its size and shape, the distance of food from the heat, the temperature of the coals, and the weather. It can take anywhere from 4 to 8 hours to smoke meat or poultry, so it's imperative to use thermometers to monitor temperatures. Cook food to a safe minimum internal temperature:

Beef, veal and lamb steaks, roasts, and chops may be cooked to 145 °F.
All cuts of pork to 160 °F.
Ground beef, veal, and lamb to 160 °F
All poultry should reach a safe minimum internal temperature of 165 °F.

Smoking and Grilling Food Safely

Smoking is a process of slowly cooking food indirectly near a fire. "Indirectly" means that the meat is not placed directly over the heat source but over a drip pan of water placed underneath the meat on the grill. Steam from the water helps destroy harmful bacteria that can cause foodborne illness. A covered grill and a drip pan can also be used for smoking food.

To ensure meat and poultry are smoked safely, two types of thermometers are needed: one for the food and one for the smoker. Many smokers have built-in thermometers. A thermometer is needed to monitor the air temperature in the smoker or grill to be sure the heat stays between 225°F and 300°F throughout the cooking process. It's important to keep the air hot enough to destroy bacteria as the meat cooks.

When using a charcoal-fired smoker, use commercial charcoal briquettes or aromatic wood chips. Set the smoker in a well-lit, well-ventilated area away from trees, shrubbery and buildings. Only use approved fire starters -- never gasoline or paint thinner, for example.

Meat for grilling is placed on a grate directly over the fire. The best cuts to grill are relatively thin cuts of meat or poultry: chicken parts, burgers and steaks. Because grills cook food directly over high heat, tender cuts grill best. Unless the grill is being used as a smoker, the lid should stay open.

More Food Safety Tips In addition to being food safe using a grill or smoker, follow these food handling tips to keep your cookout safe:

Thaw meat and poultry before smoking it
Never defrost food at room temperature
Use the microwave oven for rapid thawing, but smoke or grill the meat immediately because some areas may begin to cook during the defrosting
Always marinate food in the refrigerator, not on the counter.

When taking food off the grill, use a clean platter. Don't put cooked food on the same platter that held raw meat or poultry. Any harmful bacteria present in the raw meat juices could contaminate safely cooked food.

Refrigerate any leftovers promptly in shallow containers. Discard any food left out more than 2 hours (1 hour if temperatures are above 90 °F).

Consumers with food safety questions can "Ask Karen," the USDA Food Safety Inspection Service virtual representative available 24 hours a day at www.AskKaren.gov. For food safety information in English and Spanish, consumers also can call the USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline at 1-888-MPHotline (1-888-674-6854); TTY: 1-800-256-7072. The hotline's hours are Monday through Friday, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Eastern Time, year-round, while an extensive selection of timely food safety messages is also available at the same number 24 hours a day. Information can also be accessed on the FSIS website at www.fsis.usda.gov. E-mail inquiries may be directed to MPHotline.fsis@usda.gov. Podcasts and SignFSIS video-casts in American Sign Language featuring text-captioning are available on the web at www.fsis.usda.gov/news_&_events/multimedia.