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Few things bring people together like a great barbecue. As the spring progresses and we get into summer, this often means much more outdoor cooking and more barbecues for your friends and family. One thing you may not know is that according to the CDC, food poisoning peaks during the summer months. This is because foodborne germs flourish in the warmer temperatures.
The last thing you want to do when you are showing off your barbecue skills is to risk your health and the health of your friends and family. This is easily avoided by following some important grilling food safety precautions and avoiding improperly cooked food and cross-contamination.
In this article, we’ll cover some essential smoking and grilling food safety tips every outdoor cook should follow each and every time you cook. No matter what time of the year you are cooking.
When you are shopping, make sure to pick up your meat, poultry, and seafood last. Bacteria start to multiply very quickly when meats and seafood reach room temperature. So, pick up your dry goods and produce first and make the meat or seafood counter your last stop. This will help keep your items cold until ready to cook.
You also want to make sure that you keep your meats and seafood separate from other foods while shopping and make sure they are bagged separately. This will help prevent cross-contamination, a very important thing to keep in mind when it comes to food safety. Cross-contamination occurs when the juices from raw meat and seafood come in contact with ready to eat or cooked food.
Before handling raw meat and seafood it is very important to wash your hands thoroughly with warm water and soap for a minimum of 20 seconds. This will eliminate any bacteria that may be on your hands.
Always wash your hands directly after handling raw meat or seafood also. Especially before touching any other surfaces or food products. This may mean you are washing your hands multiple times before your food ends up on the grill.
Another option is to use rubber or latex gloves when handling raw meat. When the meat is on the grill and you’re ready to take the gloves off, pull them off from the cuffs inside out to avoid contaminating your hands.
Before putting anything on to cook, you want to make sure you check your grill and clean it as necessary. Once your grill has started to preheat you can use a moist cloth or paper towel to clean off any remaining food particles. If you use a wire grill brush, check to make sure that there are no wire bristles stuck on the grill surface that could stick to your food.
Source: BBQChiefs
Another way to avoid cross-contamination is to clean your utensils, cutting boards, plates, and workspace after coming in contact with raw meat or seafood. A bleach solution works best to clean and sanitize everything that can’t go in the dishwasher.
When cutting boards start to get worn and get deep cuts, you can quickly encounter a problem with bacteria hiding in the cuts even after cleaning. If your board gets a lot of deep cuts and gouges it is time to replace it. Or if it is wood, sand it down to a smooth surface again.
To avoid cross-contamination, never use the same plate, cutting board, and utensils to handle cooked meat as you did for the raw meat. Unless, of course, they have been cleaned before reusing.
So, as mentioned above, as soon as you get your meat on the grill make sure to clean everything that touched the raw meat before reusing. Or have an extra set of everything ready to use for the cooked food.
One of the quickest ways for a person to get food poisoning is to eat undercooked food. That is why it is so important to use a good-quality thermometer when doing your outdoor cooking to make sure you cook everything thoroughly and the meat has reached safe internal temperatures.
Keeping the internal temperature of your grill or smoker between 225 and 300 degrees Fahrenheit will allow you to properly reach the recommended internal temperature for the meat. Safe internal temperatures, as outlined by the USDA, are:
Source: Mic
As you can see, maintaining proper food temperatures is very important when it comes to avoiding foodborne bacteria. This applies to both keeping cold food cold and hot food hot.
You never want to leave cold food out longer than 2 hours (1 hour if the outside temperature is 90 degrees Fahrenheit or more.) Make sure these items are refrigerated or placed on ice as soon as possible. This applies to your cold raw meat, poultry, and seafood before cooking, perishable side items, and leftovers after the meal.
After you have cooked your meats and seafood, it is important to keep those items hot until served. This can be done by setting the meat to the side of the grill rack away from direct heat, wrapped in aluminum foil and then towels and placed in a warmed cooler, or in the oven inside at a temperature setting of 200 degrees Fahrenheit.
Some of the grilling food safety tips above are things that are often overlooked by many outdoor cooks. Food safety is all about properly cooking food, keeping everything you use for smoking and grilling clean, and avoiding cross-contamination.
As you can see, following these measures we covered each and every time you are smoking and grilling will ensure you are cooking as safe as possible and keeping everyone healthy.
Want to learn more tips and techniques on cooking competition-worthy barbecue straight from the pros? Here at BBQ Champs Academy, you’ll learn everything you need to know in step-by-step video classes directly with World Champions Pitmasters and Grillmasters. Check out the All-Access Pass to get the full inside scoop or purchase classes individually!
The official start of winter is coming up soon this month, but many parts of the country have already been seeing cold temperatures and even snow for several months. For the serious outdoor cooker (or even those of you just starting to get serious), a little cold weather won’t deter you from wanting to cook some great meat. And it doesn’t have to.
One of the most important things to keep in mind cooking outside is the effect the cold weather will have on temperature consistency for your smoker or grill. For great BBQ, consistent cooking temperatures is critical. Maintaining that consistency in the cold will be tough but not impossible.
The exterior of your cooker will be cold. That cold metal will absorb the heat from the warm air inside which will decrease the inside temperature. Also, the cooker will draw in cold exterior air during the combustion process. This can also decrease the temperature. So, you will need to preheat your cooker until the exterior metal is too hot to touch and you’ll need more fuel to do that. Also, be prepared to use more fuel throughout the cooking to maintain the necessary temperature.
You don’t have to pack away your smoker or barbecue grill for the winter season. But, there are some tips & tricks to keep in mind when barbecuing and smoking in cold weather to make sure you achieve the best results. Let’s take a look:
While opening your smoker or grill’s lid in the summer doesn’t make too much of a difference, in the cold it can have a huge impact. So, it is important to try and keep your cooker’s lid closed as much as possible when barbecuing or smoking in cold weather. This will help maintain the constant proper temperature inside. There are better ways to check the temperature of the meat when needed. (See below)
You can help maintain proper temperature inside your cooker by keeping it warm and dry. One trick to do this is to use a welding blanket as insulation over the cooking chamber. Rated for high temperatures, these blankets will protect the cooking chamber from snow, wind, and cold temperatures without catching fire. You can also use furnace insulation. It’s best to only use any type of insulation on the cooking chamber and avoid covering the firebox.
Make sure when you are using a welding blanket or similar type of insulation that you still provide for enough airflow. You don’t want to block the flow of oxygen in and keep too much smoke in. Then your fire can go out or your meat ends up tainted with a gnarly smoke taste.
Source: Smokin’ MAK
Barbecuing and smoking in cold weather is definitely a situation where having a good wireless digital thermometer on hand is extremely useful. Especially if it is multi-probe. Then you can easily and constantly monitor the temperature of the inside of your cooker as well as the current temperature of your meat.
Many of these digital thermometers have capabilities to set alarms for a particular temperature range. So you are immediately alerted if the internal temperature of your cooker falls below that range. Then, you can jump into action before it falls too low and add more fuel.
As we mentioned above, when cooking in cold weather you are definitely going to burn through more fuel. So, it’s important to make sure that you are stocked up and ready to go, with whatever fuel source you are using, before you even start heating up your cooker. The last thing you want to happen when it’s time to refuel is to not have more readily available on hand, your internal temperature crashes, and you have to start all over.
If you are using wood, make sure you’ve got your stockpile already chopped up, stored in a nearby dry place, and ready to go. If you are using charcoal or gas, make sure you’ve got enough on hand to make it through the entire cook before you start. For any type of fuel source, it’s a good idea to have on-hand double the amount of fuel as you would when cooking in warm outdoor temperatures.
While you are getting your fuel stocked up and ready to go, it’s also a good idea to get any tools, utensils, seasonings, etc ready to go while you are at it. You want to make sure you are totally prepared before you even start cooking.
Source: EcoHome
Cold winter weather almost always means cold gusty wind as well. Dealing with and adjusting for the wind is going to be crucial to maintain good temperatures inside your smoker or grill.
One way to do this is to find a spot outside to put your cooker that is a little more sheltered or protected from direct wind flow. This will help maintain a little more consistency in cooking temperature in the cold weather. But, definitely make sure you are not cooking in an enclosed space in or near your home. Especially not in a garage.
Also, you should monitor the wind direction. You should know how the air flows through your cooker and from what direction and you can make adjustments based on this and the wind direction. Positioning your cooker perpendicular to the wind is often most effective. You don’t want to get too much wind flowing into your cooker or else your fire will be stoked and it will raise temperatures quickly. You also don’t want to be getting too little airflow and lose your fuel source.
By monitoring the wind direction, you can also adjust your air intakes on your cooker accordingly. You may need to use another vent to adjust temperature and completely close off the vent facing the wind.
These are just a few tips and tricks for barbecuing and smoking in cold weather. As you can see, the most important thing to remember is to prepare to have to do a little more to maintain constant internal temperatures inside your cooker. The more you can do to keep your cooker dry and warm, the easier it will be to do that.
Treat your cooker like you would yourself in cold weather. When outside, both of you must be kept warm and sheltered (safely) as much as possible to keep cooking great BBQ.
With the first of their kind BBQ cooking classes available from us here at BBQ Champs Academy, you’ll learn all the tips and tricks from champion BBQ pitmasters and grillmasters. You’ll be excited all year round, even in the cold weather, to show off your skills and cook championship-quality barbecue.
Have you been cooking outdoors in the cold weather lately? Have you figured out another great way to keep those internal temperatures warm in the cold? Tell us about it below. We want to hear from you!
So you got yourself a good new grill or smoker and you may be wondering what are the best or essential grilling accessories to have. There are a ton of BBQ grill accessories available these days. Some are definitely essentials and some may be considered more “nice-to-have” gadgets.
Of course, the goal is to cook great tasting meat. One key aspect of doing this is to make sure you’ve got the right tools. With the proper tools on hand, you can make sure you are prepared, help make your outdoor cooking go smooth and easy, and take your BBQ skills to the next level.
Let’s break down what the essential grilling accessories are for your grill or smoker if you are looking to cook great quality BBQ:
Consistent temperatures are key to great BBQ. Don’t rely just on your smoker or grill’s built-in lid thermometer (which can sometimes be inaccurate). Avoid overcooked or undercooked meat by using a quality digital wireless meat thermometer, especially on those “low and slow” long cooks. Out of any of the tools in our list, this is a #1 priority.
Ideally, you want to use a dual probe BBQ thermometer so you always know the temperature inside your cooker as well as the temperature of your meat. With both readings digitally displayed in an easy to read manner on the same device. As well as timer settings so you know your meat is getting the desired cook time at the right temperatures. Wireless capabilities allow you to move around more freely without having to hover over your cooker the whole time.
Make sure you get a quality, rugged and durable design so you’re not replacing your wireless thermometer every other cooking session.
Yes, you read that right. We’ve got two thermometers listed here. But they serve two different purposes and you’ll want both. The digital wireless thermometer above is used to monitor the temperatures on your long cooks. For grilling, a good instant-read meat thermometer is another essential accessory.
With an instant-read thermometer, you can quickly and accurately test the temperature on steaks and other meats. Where even a slight variation of degrees in temperature can make a huge difference.
You can also use your instant-read meat thermometer on long cooks to check the temperature in different parts of the meat.
When you’re smoking (or grilling) meat you’re dealing with high temperatures often around 500 degrees. So, a good pair of insulated heat resistant BBQ gloves to protect your hands are going to be another essential.
The gloves are very useful for handling meat and you don’t want to damage the bark on the outside, need to move your whole smoker, or when you’re lighting your grill with a chimney starter. They’re also great for when it comes time to shred or pull meat also.
Look for gloves that are rated for 900 degrees or higher and fit your hands snug so you don’t lose any dexterity.
Many agree that a charcoal grill provides a much better flavor than propane. But struggling and waiting 20 minutes to get your charcoals lit can be a pain. Get rid of those chemical fire starters and lighter fluid. Start your charcoal in a much cleaner and faster fashion with a charcoal chimney fire starter.
Grab those gloves we mentioned above. Then just put your charcoals into the chimney and scrunch up some paper into the bottom of it and light it. It’ll only take about 10 minutes before you have fully lit charcoals ready to be used in the grill. One of the best parts of a chimney starter is that you’ll end up with charcoals that are all heated evenly. This means your meat will be also be cooked evenly and thoroughly.
The best size chimney starter is usually going to be the 7.5 x 7.5 x 12 inch. Check out this video on how to use a chimney fire starter.
Meat claws, sometimes referred to as bear claws, are another handy choice of BBQ accessories to have. Sometimes lifting and transferring meat from the smoker or grill to a plate or cutting board can be tough.
These handled meat claws are ergonomically designed, designed for high heat, and make the process much easier. They are also great when it comes to shredding or pulling the meat.
One of the BBQ tools you’ll use and need most often is a good, LONG pair of metal tongs. Having a long pair of tongs (think 16”) will allow you to work with the meat and still keep your hands at a distance away from the heat. Keeping you from having to put on the gloves every time. Many BBQ pros actually have two pairs of tongs. One only for moving around charcoal when needed, and another pair only for moving meat and food around.
Look for tongs that are high-quality stainless steel so you don’t have to worry about the metal getting far too hot too easily and bending. A good pair will also have a spring-loaded hinge, the ability to open wide and lock closed, and have some kind of insulation on the handles like wood or nylon.
You spent good money on your smoker or grill, you want to protect it and make it last. One way to do that is to make sure it is cleaned well before and after use. A good BBQ grill brush is an essential tool to make that happen. This is one tool to definitely not skimp on quality.
A good grill brush will also ensure you don’t have any leftover gunk from before burning up and tainting the flavor of the meat you just put on to cook.
The best way to keep your cooker clean with a BBQ grill brush is to turn up the heat for about 10 minutes when you’re done cooking and brush any leftover meat or gunk off while it’s hot and easy to remove. Then, before the next time you cook, make sure to take the inside grate off and rinse with water, replace it, and let it get hot before you put any meat on.
Look for a grill brush that has a long handle and a wide surface cleaning area of high-quality metal brushes that can effectively get in between grate bars. Make sure if you are using porcelain or ceramic grill surfaces that the brush is rated safe for those surface types to avoid scratches.
There are BBQ recipes that call for the meat to be basted with a sauce or marinade while cooking. This is a situation where the marinade brush you might have in the kitchen isn’t going to cut it. Get your hands on a basting brush or mop made just for outdoor cooking.
A long-handled brush or mop will allow you to easily and evenly spread the glaze, marinade, sauce, or butter across the meat. A basting brush often performs better for thicker sauces while a basting mop works great for thinner sauces or marinades.
A high-quality sharp knife is a BBQ pro’s best friend. One specific type of knife that works great in many instances for trimming BBQ is a boning knife.
Because of the shape of the blade, a boning knife works great for cleaning up a slab of ribs, tidying up the cut on a ribeye, or trimming the fat cap on a brisket. Look for a boning knife with an extra sharp approximately 6” blade and a comfortable handle.
If you’re taking your smoking or grilling seriously, especially if you’re cooking a brisket, a quality butcher block cutting board is a good accessory to have. For large cuts of meat, your average kitchen cutting board isn’t going to do it.
A good large wood butcher block board is going to keep your knives sharp and give you plenty of room to work with when trimming or shredding meat. Look for boards made of high-quality pre-treated woods like bamboo and approximately 13 inches by 17 inches. A juice groove around the edge will also help keep your area clean and prevent the juice from getting everywhere when moving or slicing meat.
If your smoker or grill is in an area outdoors that is not undercover, then the best accessory you can’t pass up is a cover. You spent good money on your cooker, keep it covered to keep it dry, prevent rust, and keep out dirt and dust.
Most manufacturers make covers for their smokers or grills but there are also great quality third-party covers. Just look for a quality heavy-duty cover that is made from a thick polyester that is fade-resistant and waterproof.
It’s important to make sure you don’t just stop at getting a good bbq grill or smoker. Set up for BBQ success by arming yourself with the essential bbq accessories. By having the tools listed above, you’ll be fully prepared and have a much higher chance of cooking great BBQ. You’ll also protect your outdoor cooking investments and increase their lifespan.
Source: BBQIndustry.com
The online tell-all BBQ cooking classes available from BBQ Champs Academy will show you just how to put those grill accessories to good use. Learn from some of the best BBQ pitmasters and grillmasters in the country as they show you pro techniques, recipes, and secrets to cooking championship-quality barbecue.
Have you found your perfect mix of the best grilling accessories? Did we forget something on this essentials list? Tell us about it below. We want to hear from you!
Would you start to work on your car and take things apart before making sure you have the proper tools and parts to complete the job? More than likely not. If you want to cook great tasting BBQ you have to approach it the same way.
When you are cooking BBQ, or anything for that matter, making sure you are prepared beforehand is essential. Especially if you are doing outdoor cooking. Having to run in and out of the house or realizing you don’t have a key ingredient for your BBQ sauce after you’ve already started making it can cause some serious problems.
In this article we’ll break down the proper technique, and why it is important, to make sure you are prepared to make great BBQ sauce and cook some great tasting meat.
If you’re ready to make your time preparing your BBQ sauce, grilling, or cooking anything go much smoother, it’s time to learn the technique known as mise en place. Pronounced meez-ahn-plahss, this French cooking term translates to “put in place”.
Preparation using mise en place ensures that everything that will be needed for what you are cooking is ready, in place, and in reach before any cooking is even started. This technique is used in the kitchens of every top chef in the world. You may have even dined in one of these fine dining restaurants with an open kitchen and noticed how each cook moves effortlessly and the kitchen seems to be running like clockwork. This is mise en place in action.
Source: Twin Cities’ Star Tribune
Each cook has every spice, vegetable, fruit, meat or other ingredients they will be using already measured out, chopped, portioned, and ready to go. Pans are in reach and tools set out. Every single thing they will need is within quick and easy reach before any oven or stove is turned on.
The good thing is, you don’t have to be a top chef to implement mise en place for your BBQ sauces, outdoor cooking, or grilling. If you are not already doing it, you’ll be amazed at the results that can come from making sure you are fully prepared and how much easier it makes it to avoid any problems along the way.
Implementing mise en place in your home kitchen or outdoor cooking can prevent some problematic scenarios that can happen. Like when you get halfway through a BBQ sauce recipe and realize you are missed a crucial ingredient. Or you are grilling or smoking outside and realize you forgot the basting brush or left the tongs inside just when it’s the perfect time to take the meat off. In BBQ, not being prepared can quickly mean disaster.
Source: Thrillist
One scenario where mise en place is the most effective in BBQ is when it’s time to make that perfect BBQ sauce for your outdoor cooking. For example, chopping up onions you need to saute should definitely not be done when you are trying to heat the oil in the pan. Same with measuring out spices when your base sauce is hot.
When you are ready to start preparing your BBQ sauce (or getting ready to grill/smoke or cook anything really), effective mise en place starts even before you start pre-chopping or measuring anything out.
The first thing you should do is read through your entire recipe you will be following. Then read it again. Make sure you are familiar with every step of the process. If you need to double the recipe for any reason, make sure you understand exactly how much more of your necessary ingredients you’ll now need.
After you have done the mental prep work, it’s time to get every item that you will need ready to go. Pull every ingredient you will need out of the refrigerator or pantry. Measure each spice and seasoning out ahead of time, wash and chop up any vegetables, fruit, or garlic needed. Make sure everything is laid out on your workspace within reach of where you’ll be cooking. Placing the ingredients in order of when you’ll need them is even more effective.
Source: Self Proclaimed Foodie
All of your tools and equipment should be ready to go as well. Make sure your utensils are within reach, pots and pans are in place on the stove, and towels and pot holders are ready. If you haven’t already and will be cooking your meat right after the BBQ sauce is done, go ahead and trim the meat as needed ahead of time as well.
Great tasting BBQ largely comes down to proper techniques and adequate preparation beforehand. It’s critical to implement mise en place and ensure you have all of the ingredients, tools, and materials you need for every step ready to go and in easy reach before you even start cooking anything. It will also ensure a much smoother process, fewer headaches, and even less clean up because you will have time to clean up as you go!
Preparation techniques and how to make great BBQ are just some of the things you’ll learn from us here at BBQ Champs Academy. The first virtual BBQ cooking school of its kind. Built for everyone from the backyard cooker to competition-caliber BBQ enthusiasts and led by some of the world’s best pitmasters and grillmasters. Get all access today!
Have you mastered mise en place? Do you have some stories about things going wrong when you were not fully prepared beforehand (and you can laugh about it now)? Leave a comment below. We want to hear from you!
