Food Safety at the Grill Plus a Flavorful Marinade Recipe

Warm, sunny days often mean more time to enjoy outdoor activities, including grilling fresh meals to share with family and friends. As the days get longer and your grill starts calling, here are some food safety tips you can use to protect against foodborne illnesses.

When you do decide to fire up your grill, we’ve got a flavorful marinade recipe that’s perfect for you. Be sure to check out the end of this article for all the ingredients.

Wash

• Clean grill according to manufacturer instructions.
• Wash hands thoroughly.
• Make sure that all utensils and cutting boards are washed after use.

Separate

• Keep cooked and ready-to-eat foods in an area separate from raw meat and poultry.

Cook

• Always use a food thermometer to cook to a safe temperature.

Refrigerate

• Don’t let perishables sit out for longer than two hours, or one hour if the outdoor temperature is above 90 degrees.
• Make sure perishable foods stay below 40 degrees.
• Transport food in the passenger part of the car, not the trunk.

Safe Minimum Internal Temperatures

• Poultry: 165 degrees
• Ground meats: 160 degrees
• Pork, beef, veal, lamb and seafood: 145 degrees
• Fruits, vegetables and grains: 135 degrees

Quick and Easy Marinade Recipe

This marinade is for one pound of meat, fish and/or vegetables and is great to enhance the flavor. This recipe was a gift from Cooking Matters® volunteer, Chef John Croatti.

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup olive oil or canola oil
• 1/4 cup white wine
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
• Zest from 1 small lime for red meat or zest from 1/2 lemon for seafood or vegetables
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 3 tablespoons chopped Italian parsley

Preparation

Mix all ingredients to combine and marinate 90 minutes at room temperature or in refrigerator overnight. Save the lime or lemon to use for juice to drizzle over cooked items.