Grilling Outdoors Safely

With Graduation, Father’s Day, and many other summer activities approaching many of you are sure to fire up the outdoor grill to help with food preparation for the celebrations.

Outdoor grilling is a popular way to prepare food during warmer weather while enjoying the company of family and friends.  However, grilling does “open the door” to food borne illness if proper cleanliness and preparation measures are not followed. 

To make your cookout a fond memory rather than a regretful experience, follow these simple steps:

Food Preparation:

•           Select fresh meat, poultry, or seafood that is high quality for best cooking results.

•           Keep these perishable products at 40° F or colder, until immediately before grilling.

•           Thaw frozen food in the refrigerator and discard leftover marinade.

•           Wash your hands before and after working with raw meat, poultry, or seafood.

•           Wash your work surfaces and cutting boards with hot, soapy water before and after preparing food.  To sanitize, use 1 tsp. bleach per quart of warm water.  If possible, use a separate cutting board for fresh produce and raw meat, poultry, or seafood.

•          When away from home, keep your meat and poultry away from other food in a separate cooler with ice.  This prevents cross contamination.

•         After placing raw meat on the grill, wash utensils and platters with hot, soapy water before using them to serve cooked food.

•          Cook foods to an internal temperature that destroys harmful bacteria.  Check the temperature by placing a thermometer in the center-most part of the meat, not touching the bone.

Internal temperature for thorough cooking to prevent food borne illness are:

•           Whole poultry - 165° F

•           Poultry breasts - 165° F

•           Ground beef patties - 160° F

•           Ground poultry - 165° F

•           Beef, veal, lamb steaks, roasts, or chops - 145° F (yields medium rare doneness)

•           All cuts of pork - 160° F (yields medium doneness)

Safe handling of cooked food:

•           Serve food immediately after grilling, or keep at 135° F or above until served.

•           Place on a clean platter.

•           Refrigerate on a clean platter.

•           Refrigerate all leftovers immediately at 40° F or below.

Discard any food left out longer than 2 hours, or 1 hour if temperature is above 90° F.  Note: These temperatures are recommended for consumer cooking. They are not intended for processing, institutional, or food service preparation. Food Service Workers should consult their state or local food code, or health department.

And finally, if you are looking for a recipe to ensure that your chicken is moist and tender, try this marinade recipe featured at our Path to the Plate Grilling Workshop last month. 

Grilled Chicken Marinade
 

Ingredients:

¼ cup red wine vinegar                                  ½ teaspoon dried oregano

¼ cup reduced-sodium soy sauce                   ¼ teaspoon garlic powder

¼ cup olive oil                                                ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

2 teaspoons dried parsley flakes                     5 skinless, boneless chicken breasts

½ teaspoon dried basil

Directions:

Whisk vinegar, soy sauce, olive oil, parsley, basil, oregano, garlic powder, and black pepper together in a bowl and pour into a resealable plastic bag. Add chicken, coat with the marinade, squeeze out excess air and seal the bag. Marinate in the refrigerator, at least 4 hours.

Preheat grill for medium-low heat and lightly oil the grate. Drain and discard marinade.

Grill chicken on the preheated grill until no long pink in the center, 4 to 5 minutes per side.

An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read at least 165 ° F.

 1 Serving
Servings Per Recipe: 5
Amount Per Serving

Calories: 233

Calories from Fat: 122

% Daily Value *

• Total Fat: 13.6
• Saturated Fat: 2.3
• Cholesterol: 65
• Sodium: 482
• Total Carbohydrates: 2.4
• Sugars: 0.3
• Dietary Fiber: 0.3
• Protein: 24.3
• Potassium: 246

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

 For more information about safe outdoor grilling or food safety call Texas A&M AgriLife Extension, Wise County office at 940.627.3341.

Peaches

Peaches, with their soft skin and sweet flesh, are a spring and summertime staple. One of the largest fruit crops grown in the United States, peaches provide a great deal of nutrients with few calories and no fat. Peaches are a healthy way to fit in one of your daily servings of fruit.

Peaches contain over 15 different vitamins and minerals, with the most abundant being vitamin A, vitamin C and potassium. They are also a source of the antioxidant chlorogenic acid which helps scavenge free radicals. These are compounds that your body acquires through exposure to pollutants, food and the environment. Consuming peaches will assist in reducing the effects of aging and deter chronic diseases.

One large peach, about 2 ¾ inches in diameter, contains just 68 calories and no fat. Eating peaches instead of more fattening, processed snacks, such as chips, baked goods, cereal bars and cookies, can help you manage your weight. Peaches are naturally sweet and can replace some of the added sugars in your diet. Use them to top unsweetened whole-grain cereal, plain yogurt or plain low-fat cottage cheese, instead of choosing versions of these foods sweetened with high-fructose corn syrup or cane sugar.

Since the Texas peach season and grilling season coincide during the spring/summer months what better way to encourage our families to eat more fruits. One of the foods featured during the Path to the Plate Grilling Workshop series, scheduled April 27 and May 4, will be grilled peaches. Also featured will be corn, pineapple, turkey, chicken, pork, beef and fish.  The series begins each night at 6pm at the Wise County Fairgrounds. Cost is $15 per person for one night or $25 per person for both nights. Generous samples will be offered to each participant.  Contact the Extension office at 940-627-3341 to register.

Path to the Plate: Healthy Grilling Workshops

Grab your friends and join us for our newest program called Path to the Plate-Healthy Grilling Workshops. Hosted by Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service and Wise County Extension’s Leadership Advisory Board, Family and Consumer Sciences, and Ag and Natural Resources planning groups; the two night event is scheduled for Thursday, April 27 and May 4 in the Women’s Building at the Wise County Fairgrounds. The workshops begin at 6 pm each evening and will conclude around 8 pm.

We are targeting busy people who still want to make time for meal preparation with a grilling twist and feel good about what they are feeding themselves and their family. Whether you’re an old hand or a novice at outdoor grilling we think you will benefit from Path to the Plate. Our goals are to promote Texas Agriculture and teach participants about the role agriculture plays in providing proper nutrition, preventing food waste, and alleviate unsubstantiated fears about the food supply.

To get you ready for grilling season, cooking demonstrations will showcase how to use fresh flavors to make healthy and delicious meals for you and your family. Two different type meats (beef, pork, fish, poultry) along with fruits and vegetables will be featured at each workshop session. You will learn to maximize flavor with the mysteries of marinades and rubs, smart grilling techniques and hear the facts of gas vs charcoal grills. Generous samples of each recipe demonstrated are sure to satisfy your appetite.  Agriculture commodities will be featured as we connect agriculture production to health and nutrition. 

The pre-registration fee is $15 per person for one session or $25 per person for both sessions. The fee includes recipes, brochures, recipe samples, goody bags, and door prizes.  Please call the Extension office at 940/627-3341 to reserve your spot. Space is limited.

Sponsors of Path to the Plate include: Texas Beef Council, Cargill, Texas Pork Producers, First Financial Bank, First State Bank, Legend Bank, and The Community Bank.

I hope you will join us to gain tips, tools and tastes that will put you ahead of the pack this grilling season! For additional information, contact the Extension office at 940/627-3341.