FOOD SAFETY

Check out our food safety tips for a Bigger, Hotter, Heavier – and safer – outdoor cooking experience.

• Always keep your perishable food items cold until you’re ready to use them. This goes for all types of meat and seafood, and ingredients like mayonnaise, and more. The FDA offers in-depth recommendations for keeping food safe from the grocery store to the table to prevent foodborne illness.

• Use different cutting boards to trim raw meat that you’re planning to cook and for other food prep. You never want to chop items for a salad or side dish that you used to prep ribs to smoke. For full safe food handling recommendations from the FDA, click here.

• Once cooked, meat and vegetables should not be placed with any raw meat, or utensils previously used for prep of raw meat or seafood. Best practice is to wash every utensil immediately after using to avoid cross contamination.

• Use a probe style meat thermometer to ensure your cooks have reached the desired internal temperature. Check out our Pit Boss thermometers (link specific product here) to get the job done. Check out our cooking guides to learn more about internal temperatures for each meat type.

• As for foods intended to serve cold, don’t leave them out at room temperature for longer than 1 hour. Whenever possible, keep cold foods in an ice bath for service, and then cover and refrigerate immediately after serving is done. The FDA offers recommendations for appropriate timelines for storing food in the refrigerator or freezer.

• Wash your hands with warm soapy water after handling any raw meat or seafood, or any potentially hazardous food items. Use paper towels to dry your hands whenever possible.