Every year people get minor burns or food poisoning as a result of eating outdoors at picnics and barbecues, so make sure that you are aware of the following safety precautions.
Food safety
- Defrost meat thoroughly before putting it on the barbecue. See the packet for minimum defrost times.
- Keep raw meat separate from cooked meat and vegetarian food, to avoid bacterial contamination. This includes using separate utensils for raw meat. Colour-coding your barbecue tongs with stickers, tags, or just buying different coloured sets, are easy ways to avoid mix-ups. If there's more than one chef on duty, make sure everyone's following the same rules.
- Make sure meat is thoroughly cooked - you may want to cook the meat/poultry in an oven first and then barbecue it, especially chicken as raw chicken is one of main causes of serious food poisoning.
- While nearly raw steak can be a matter of taste in a restaurant, you should always cook burgers, sausages, chicken and other meat thoroughly when you're barbecuing. Outdoor cooking adds to the risk of bacteria, and charred meat can look cooked but may still be raw inside. Cut each piece of meat with a clean knife before serving to check that it is cooked properly.
- Keep meat and dairy products cool. Leave them in the fridge until the last minute or, if you're out and about, it's worth buying a cool box. Always store raw meat at the bottom of the fridge to avoid the juices dripping on other foods.
- Cover up your food with plastic film or foil, or in airtight boxes. Not only does it keep food fresh, but also it stops insects contaminating your food or nibbling on your lettuce.
Fire safety
- Make sure your barbecue is stable and can't fall or be knocked over easily.
- Always keep a bucket of water nearby, in case an accident happens.
- Place your barbecue away from anything flammable, including trees and bushes - remember to allow room for the flames that may leap up when the coals are first lit.
- Keep children and animals away from the hot coals.
- Make sure someone who hasn't been drinking alcohol supervises the barbecue at all times.
- Follow the instructions carefully on ready-to-use disposable barbecues, and fuels such as fire-lighting fluid or blocks.
- Never use petrol or other flammable liquids to light a barbecue.
- Make sure you only use approved gas for gas-fuelled barbecues - it should have a British Standards kite mark on the canister.
- When the fire dies down, let the embers cool completely before disposing of them. Wait overnight or douse them with water to be sure.
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