Rachel Wood: Break Out the Grill, It’s National Barbecue Month

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Memorial Day at the end of May is the unofficial annual start of outdoor activities in the Northwest — camping, picnics, and of course barbecuing. But why wait until the end of the month? May is National Barbecue Month all month long.

After a dark, wet winter and spring, we jump at the chance to scrape the rust off our barbecues the first warm sunny day we get. How popular is barbecuing? In an informal poll around the Health Department, we could not find a single person who does not like food cooked outdoors over a grill.

What’s their favorite? No two people gave the same answer. We heard chicken, steak, vegetable kabobs, fruit, fish, burgers — you name it. My favorite barbecued meal includes chicken and grilled veggie kabobs.

Of course, this wouldn’t be a Health Beat column without some advice on making sure you are preventing foodborne illnesses as you enjoy dining alfresco. Bacteria in food multiplies faster in temperatures over 40 degrees, so cooking and eating safely outdoors on a beautiful, sunny day can present challenges.

Washing your hands enough seems obvious in the kitchen, but easier to forget outside with no sink right at your elbow as you prepare and cook your food. Make a conscious effort to keep hands and cooking utensils clean.

Mixing raw and cooked meats is a recipe for food poisoning. How many times have you seen raw meat carried outside to the barbecue on a platter, then the same platter used to carry the cooked meat to the table? Odds are the platter sat outside in the sun in between carries, growing a robust bacteria bath from the raw meat with help from the sun.  Putting the cooked meat back in the raw meat residue on the platter adds new, live bacteria to your meal.

Another sure-fire way to leave harmful bacteria in meat is to not cook it thoroughly. A small investment in a food thermometer can save you and your guests hours of discomfort from undercooked food. Hamburger should be cooked to 160 degrees F. and chicken to at least 165 degrees F.



The U.S. Food and Drug Administration includes more information on eating outdoors safely in a handy 4-page guide you can download at: http://bit.ly/2XDDcsg.  

Speaking of sure-fire, barbecues can be dangerous. I have talked with firefighters and heard everything from tales of minor burns to horror stories of houses burning down. Many of those stories include the victim saying, “I didn’t think it could ...,” or I didn’t know it would ...”  First-time or otherwise inexperienced barbecue chefs should read and follow directions for their grill. Also, spend some time with barbecue veterans. You’ll get tasty results along with your education.

The National Fire Protection Association also offers expert grilling safety tips at http://bit.ly/2UF3Te7.

Don’t forget, there’s more to a barbecue meal than just meat. Vegetable and fruit kabobs, grilled peppers, potatoes fried or baked in foil, corn grilled in the husk, and all manner of summer vegetables take on entirely new flavors from what you’re used to eating out of a saucepan or microwave. Experimenting with different vegetables is much cheaper than with steak or fish, and inspires a whole new appreciation for them.

Can’t decide what to cook? Ask experienced friends and family members for tips. For the more studious types, searching Amazon for barbecue cookbooks yields more than 4,000(!) results. You’re sure to find something to whet your appetite there. With barbecue’s near-universal appeal and food preferences limited only by your imagination, it’s easy to enjoy tasty food all summer long.