All meat potentially contains bacteria that—if not destroyed by proper cooking—can cause food poisoning, but some meats are more risky than others.

Beef, and especially ground beef, has a combination of qualities that can make it particularly problematic—and the consequences of eating tainted beef can be severe. Bacteria are killed only by thorough cooking to an internal temperature of 160 °F (71.1 °C) as measured by a food thermometer.

Ground Beef Bacteria Dangers

What kind of bacteria can be in ground beef?
The pathogenic (illness-causing) bacteria generally found in ground beef are E. coli and Salmonella. These harmful bacteria cannot be seen or smelled.

Why is bacteria of special concern in ground beef? 
If bacteria are present when beef is ground, then more of the meat surface is exposed to the harmful bacteria. Also, grinding allows any bacteria present on the surface to be mixed throughout the meat.

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The Temperature Danger Zone

• Bacteria multiply rapidly in the “Danger Zone” — temperatures between 40°F and 140°F.
• Cold: To keep bacterial levels low, store ground beef at 40°F or below and use within 2 days, or freeze.
• Hot: To destroy harmful bacteria, cook ground beef to a safe minimum internal temperature of 160°F.

Four Basic Food Safe Steps

In every step of food preparation, follow the four basic rules — Clean, Separate, Cook, and Chill.

• CLEAN. Wash hands and surfaces often. Unless you wash your hands, utensils, and surfaces the right way, you could spread bacteria to your food, and your family.
  Wash your hands with soap and warm water for 20 seconds before and after handling ground beef to make sure you don’t spread bacteria.
• SEPARATE. Don’t cross-contaminate. Even after you’ve cleaned your hands and surfaces thoroughly, raw ground meat can still spread illness-causing bacteria to ready-to-eat foods-unless you keep them separate.
• COOK. Cook to the right temperature. To destroy harmful bacteria, cook ground beef to a safe minimum internal temperature of 160 °F (71.1 °C) as measured with a food thermometer.
• CHILL. Refrigerate promptly. Illness-causing bacteria can grow in perishable foods within 2 hours unless you refrigerate them.

Symptoms of Foodborne Illness

• Common symptoms of foodborne illness are diarrhea and/or vomiting, typically lasting 1 to 7 days. Other symptoms might include abdominal cramps, nausea, fever, joint/back aches, and fatigue.
• What some people call the “stomach flu” may actually be a foodborne illness caused by a pathogen (i.e., virus, bacteria, or parasite) in contaminated food or drink.
• The incubation period (the time between exposure to the pathogen and onset of symptoms) can range from several hours to 1 week.

People (Groups) Vulnerable to Foodborne Illness

Foodborne illness can affect anyone who eats contaminated food. However, certain populations are more susceptible to becoming ill with a greater severity of illness. These groups include:

• Pregnant women;
• Infants and young children;
• Older adults;
• People taking certain kinds of medications or with immune systems weakened from medical conditions, such as diabetes, liver disease, kidney disease, organ transplants, HIV/AIDS, or from receiving chemotherapy or radiation treatment.

Most people with a foodborne illness get better without medical treatment, but people with severe symptoms should see their doctor.

Practicing proper food and fire safety principles and procedures are the keys to having a safe weekend full of fun, food, and family time!

The Bacteria Danger Zone

Food illnesses increase during the summer – not only because bacteria multiply faster in warmer temperatures – but preparing food outdoors makes safe food handling more challenging.

One of the critical factors in food safety is controlling temperature. Bacteria grows very slowly below 40°F, multiply rapidly between 40°F and 140°F, and are destroyed above 140°F.

Food Safety Steps: Clean – Separate – Cook – Chill

Food poisoning peaks in the summer months when warmer temperatures cause foodborne bacteria to flourish. Follow these steps for a safe and enjoyable grilling season:

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• Learn about foodborne hazards and pathogens, cross contamination, temperature controls, cleaning and sanitation methods, and the best practices to prevent foodborne illnesses.
• Food Manager (Level 2) Certification: SALE $99.00
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Clean

• Wash Hands
  Wash your hands with soap before and after handling raw meat, poultry, and seafood. Wash work surfaces, utensils, and the grill before and after cooking.
• Check and Clean your grill and tools
  Use a moist cloth or paper towel to clean the grill surface before cooking. If you use a wire bristle brush, thoroughly inspect the grill’s surface before cooking. Wire bristles from grill cleaning brushes may dislodge and stick into food on the grill.

Separate

• Shopping – When shopping, pick up meat, poultry, and seafood last, right before checkout. Separate them from other food in your shopping cart and grocery bags. To guard against cross-contamination, put packages of raw meat and poultry into individual plastic bags.
• Marinades – Throw out marinades and sauces that have touched raw meat juices, which can spread germs to cooked foods.
• Avoid cross-contamination – To prevent foodborne illness, do not use the same platter, cutting board or utensils for raw and cooked foods. Harmful bacteria present in raw meat and poultry and their juices can contaminate cooked food. Use clean utensils and a clean plate to remove cooked meat from the grill.

Cook

Use a food thermometer to ensure meat is cooked hot enough to kill harmful germs. When smoking, keep temperatures inside the smoker at 225° F to 300° F to keep meat a safe temperature while it cooks.

• Hamburgers, sausages and other ground meats should reach 160°F (71°C).
• All poultry should reach a minimum temperature of 165°F (74°C).
• Whole cuts of pork, lamb, veal and beef should be cooked to 145°F (63°C) as measured by a food thermometer placed in the thickest part of the meat, and allowed to rest for three minutes before eating.
• Fish should be cooked to 145°F (63°C).
• Cook eggs until yolks are firm, and cook foods containing eggs thoroughly.

Keys to Successful Grilling

• Fire up the grill early! A preheated grill will reduce the risk of sticking and will burn off remnants of charred food from previous grilling.
• Reduce grill sticking. Brushing the grill with a little oil will help to reduce sticking.
• Controlling heat is key. Most grills have hot and cold spots. You should use the “zones” to your advantage.
• Hot zones are good for searing, charring, preventing food from sticking, and cooking items quickly.
• Cool zones are good for imparting smokey flavor.
• Let food cook. Leave food alone until it releases from the grill. Turning often reduces proper charring and prevents those beautiful grill marks.
• Grill marks with the 2 o’clock–10 o’clock method. Angle the food initially at the 2 o’clock position, then flip and rotate it to the 10 o’clock position – to get a proper char cross hatch.

Chill

Keep meat, poultry, and seafood refrigerated until ready to grill. When transporting, keep below 40° F in an insulated cooler.

Divide leftovers into small portions and place in covered, shallow containers. Put in freezer or fridge within two hours of cooking (one hour if above 90° F outside).

National Fire Protection Association Grilling Safety

• Keep your grill at least three feet from your home, away from pets and kids
• Clean grill after each use. Meat produce a lot of fat, so keeping the grill clean will not only keep your meat tasting better, it will also protect you from the fires that flare up.
• Never use gasoline or any flammable liquid on your grill.
• Both propane and charcoal BBQ grills should only be used outdoors.

The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) offers grill safely tips to prevent fires:

Grilling Food Safety Resources

Infographics

• Grill it Safe When Cooking Outdoors E-Card (PDF)
• Grill it Safe Card (PDF) | Side 1, JPG | Side 2, JPG
• En Español: Side 1, JPG | Side 2, JPG
• Four Steps to Food Safety from our Founding Fathers (Flickr)