This Memorial Day weekend, whether you are grilling chicken, steak, hot dog or vegetables – or all of those – there’s some steps you can take to prevent food illnesses at your cookout or gathering.
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Check the propane tank or make sure you’ve got charcoal. Memorial Day weekend means it’s time to fire up the grill.
The holiday, on Monday, May 26, is meant to honor those who died serving in the military. However, it also serves as the unofficial start of the outdoor grilling season – and of summer, although the season’s official start isn’t until June 21.
Much of the country may have a wet or cool weekend ahead, but you can still expect many gatherings of family and friends featuring grilled foods. But you don’t want foodborne illnesses spoiling the festivities.
Food safety needs to part of the party plan because millions get sick from foodborne illnesses during the summer. As many as 48 million get sick from a foodborne illness each year, with 128,000 hospitalized and 3,000 dying, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Some simple steps will improve food safety at your gatherings. “The most important message I would give to those cooking out this Memorial Day is to make sure you’re being smart about your food preparation,” said Teresa Eury, a registered dietitian at the Cleveland Clinic, in a press release. “It truly comes down to timing and keeping cold foods cold and hot foods hot.”
Before you light the grill
You should be thinking about food safety ahead of your cookout. Here’s some tips on preparation from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety Inspection Service and the Food and Drug Administration:
- Keep it cold. When shopping, select your meat, poultry or fish last and keep raw meat separate from other items in your shopping cart. Refrigerate raw meat right when you get home from the grocery store. Freeze poultry and ground meat that won’t be used within 2 days; freeze other meat within 4 to 5 days.
- Thaw: If possible, defrost any frozen meat and poultry in the refrigerator. However, you can thaw sealed packages in cold water, the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service says. If you defrost using the microwave, put the food on the grill right away.
- Marinate: No matter what marinade you use, marinate your food in the refrigerator. (Note: Don’t thaw or marinate meat, poultry, or seafood on the counter.) Ideally, dispose of your marinade after it has been used with raw meat. If you want to use some marinate as a sauce for cooked food, set aside a portion before putting raw meat in it. And if you want to use some as a sauce to brush on your meat or poultry while it is grilling, you should boil it for a few minutes to destroy any bacteria.
Proper cooking temperatures for grilling meats
When cooking, you want meats to reach a certain internal temperature to kill bacteria such as E. coli, which historically has been linked to recurring recalls of ground beef, as well as leafy greens. E. coli infection can lead to dehydration, bloody diarrhea and abdominal cramps three to four days after exposure – and potentially kidney failure in kids younger than 5 years old, those 65 and older, and those with weakened immune systems, the CDC says.
A food thermometer will help you ensure food has been cooked to at least the minimum internal temperature. Place the thermometer in the thickest part of the meat and read the temperature after 10 to 20 seconds.
- Poultry should be cooked to a minimum temperature of 165° Fahrenheit, says the USDA’s FSIS.
- Burgers made of ground beef, pork, veal or lamb should reach 160° F. All cuts of pork should also reach 160° F.
- To achieve medium rare, steaks, roasts, chops and other whole cuts of meat should be cooked to at least 145°F (62.6˚C) and allow to rest for three minutes after removal from the grill. Increase that to 160°F if you want meat cooked to medium.
- For fish, cook to 145°F or until the flesh is opaque and separates easily with a fork, according to safe cooking temperature charts from the CDC and USDA.
Preventing germs from taking over your cookout
To prevent bacteria in raw meat from contaminating other foods, use one cutting board or plate for raw meat, poultry and seafood and a separate one for produce, bread, and other foods that won’t be cooked, the CDC suggests.
Also, don’t use the same plate, platter and utensils for the cooked meat and poultry as you did to transport raw meat on the grill. You don’t need to rinse raw chicken or meat before cooking because washing may spread germs to your sink, counter and other foods, possibly making you sick, the USDA says.
Once the meat is on the grill, wash your counter and take any platters and utensils used to put meat on the grill to the kitchen for washing with hot, soapy water.
Also wash your hands for at least 20 seconds before, during and after preparing food and before eating. Always wash your hands after handling uncooked meat, poultry, seafood, flour or eggs, the CDC recommends.
Memorial Day cookout: Leftovers
As you prepare to serve the meal, keep cold food on ice before and even during serving. Warm food should be kept at or above 140°, so you may need to keep it insulated until it’s served.
Once the meal is over, it’s best to refrigerate any leftovers quickly so they can be eaten safely later, the Cleveland Clinic’s Eury said.
Refrigerate leftovers promptly in small containers. Small portions of warm food can be put directly into the refrigerator. Cut large items such as whole roasts or hams into smaller parts before refrigerating; legs and wings may be left whole.
Hot or cold food should not sit out for longer than two hours and even less time if it’s warm outside.
“If your food has been sitting out for more than two hours, it’s probably a good time to throw that food out,” Eury said. “If it’s hotter than 90 degrees outside, toss any food that’s been left out for more than one hour.”
Mike Snider is a reporter on USA TODAY’s Trending team. You can follow him on Threads, Bluesky, X and email him at mikegsnider & @mikegsnider.bsky.social & @mikesnider & msnider@usatoday.com
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