A guide to safe barbecues

Barbecues are a great part of summer, but they need to be done safely to avoid food poisoning or accidents around the fire. This simple guide will help...

RAW MEAT

Top tip: Never put cooked food on a plate or surface that’s had raw meat on it

Handling raw meat

Raw meat sometimes contains germs that can cause food poisoning. You can very easily pick up germs from raw meat on your hands or utensils, and then spread them to anything else you touch, including food that's cooked and ready to eat. This is called cross-contamination.

Cross-contamination can happen if raw meat touches anything that then comes into contact with other food, including plates, cutlery, tongs and chopping boards.

Safety essentials

Some easy steps to help prevent cross-contamination are: 

• Use separate utensils (plates, tongs, containers) for cooked and raw meat
• Wash your hands after every time you touch raw meat.
• Never put cooked food on a plate or surface that's had raw meat on it.
• Keep raw meat in a sealed container away from foods that are ready to eat, such as salads and bread (such as burger buns or baguettes).
• Any frozen meat should be fully thawed before you cook it

CHARCOAL

Top tip: the coals should be glowing red with a powdery grey surface before you start.

Cooking with charcoal or gas

Make sure your barbecue is steady on a level surface, away from plants and trees.

The Fire Service advice is to cover the bottom of your barbecue with coal to a depth of no more than 5cm (2in). Use only recognised firelighters or starter fuel, and on cold coals only. Never use petrol on a barbecue. The coals are hot enough to start cooking on when they're glowing red with a powdery grey surface.

Using gas

The Fire Service advice is to:

• Make sure the tap is turned off before changing the gas cylinder.
• Change cylinders outdoors if possible or in a well-ventilated area and away from naked flames.
• If you suspect a leak in the cylinder or pipework, brush soapy water around the joints and watch for bubbles - tighten to fix but don't over-tighten.
• After cooking, turn off the gas cylinder before turning off at the controls to ensure that any gas left in the pipework is used up.

Safety essentials

The Fire Service advises the following simple rules to avoid accidents

• Keep children, garden games and pets well away from the cooking area.
• Never leave the barbecue unattended.
• Keep a fire extinguisher or a bucket of water or sand nearby for emergencies.
• Ensure the barbecue is cool before attempting to move it.
• Never put hot ashes straight into a dustbin or wheelie bin - they could melt the plastic and cause a fire.

COOKING MEAT

Top tip: don’t put raw meat on or next to cooked meat

Cooking meat

Cooking meat thoroughly will ensure that any germs are killed.

Always make sure you cook chicken, pork, burgers, sausages and kebabs until they're steaming hot all the way through, none of the meat is pink and any juices run clear.

If you're barbecuing for lots of people, you could cook meat indoors and finish it off on the barbecue for added flavour.

It's important when cooking meat to turn it regularly and move it around the barbecue. This helps it to cook evenly. Remember not to put raw meat next to cooked, or partly-cooked, meat on the barbecue and to use separate utensils for raw or partly cooked meat and cooked meat to avoid cross-contamination, which can be a cause of food poisoning.

Safety essentials

There are a few simple things to remember when checking if meat is cooked on your barbecue. These are:

· Meat should be piping (steaming) hot in the centre.

· There should be no pink meat visible.

· Any juices should be clear.

UTENSILS

Top tip: use separate utensils for cooked and raw meat

Using utensils

Cross-contamination can happen if raw meat touches an object that then comes into contact with other food. This includes any of the following:

• Plates
• Cutlery
• Tongs and other utensils
• Chopping boards

Safety essentials

To avoid cross-contamination, which can lead to food poisoning, it is very important to use separate utensils for cooked and raw meat.

COOKED MEAT

Top tip: no pink meat should be visible

Serving cooked meat

The following tips apply to all meat including burgers, sausages, chicken, lamb, pork and beef. There are a few simple things to remember when checking if meat is cooked before serving.

These are:

• Any frozen meat should be fully thawed before you cook it
• Meat should be piping hot in the centre – don’t assume it’s cooked just because the outside is charred.
• There should be no pink meat visible.
• Any juices should be clear
• Don’t put sauce or marinade on cooked food if it's already been used with raw meat.

Safety essentials

Never put cooked food on a plate or surface that's had raw meat on it.

"Don’t assume that because meat is charred on the outside it will be cooked properly on the inside," says a spokesperson from the Food Standards Agency (FSA). "Cut the meat and ensure none of it is pink inside."

CHILLED FOOD

Top tip: don’t leave food out of the fridge for more than a couple of hours – eat it, cook it or discard it

Serving chilled foods

It is important to keep some foods cool to prevent food-poisoning germs multiplying. You should also take care not to leave food out of the fridge for more than a couple of hours, and don’t leave food in the sun. If you are away from the fridge why not use a cool box and ice packs to keep food cool.

Safety essentials

Make sure you keep the following foods cool: 

• Salads
• Dips
• Milk and cream
• Yoghurt
• Desserts and cream cakes
• Sandwiches.
• Ham and other cooked meats
• Rice salads
• Cheese

When you're eating outdoors you should also remember to keep food covered whenever possible. This is to protect it from insects, birds and pets, which can carry bacteria.

NHS Choices 2011