BBQ Food Safety Guidelines and Recipes: 

Keep It Clean
Wash hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds before and after handling food. If you're eating where there’s no source of clean water, bring water, soap, and paper towels or have disposable wipes or hand sanitizer available. Sanitizing wipes are a must for cleaning surfaces and can also help to keep hands clean.

Marinate food in the refrigerator
Don’t marinate on the counter—marinate in the refrigerator. If you want to use marinade as a sauce on cooked food, save a separate portion in the refrigerator. Do not reuse marinade that contacted raw meat, poultry, or seafood on cooked food unless you bring it to a boil first.

Keep raw food separate
Keep raw meat, poultry, and seafood in a separate cooler or securely wrapped at the bottom of a cooler so their juices won’t contaminate already prepared foods or raw produce. Don't use a plate or utensils that previously held raw meat, poultry, or seafood for anything else unless you wash them first in hot, soapy water. Have a clean platter and utensils ready at grill-side for serving.

Cook food thoroughly
Use a food thermometer to make sure food is cooked thoroughly to destroy harmful bacteria. Partial precooking in the microwave oven or on the stove is a good way to reduce grilling time—just make sure the food goes immediately on the preheated grill to finish cooking.

Safe Food Temperatures:  Use a meat thermometer to check for doneness.  Your food is safely cooked when temperatures reach the following for:

• Steaks and roasts 145°F
  Fish 145°F
  Pork 160°F
  Ground beef 160°F
  Egg dishes 160°F
  Chicken breasts 165°F
  Whole poultry 165°F
  Shrimp, lobster, and crabs cook until pearly and opaque
  Clams, oysters, and mussels cook until the shells are open

Keep hot food hot and cold food cold
•Keep hot food at 140° F or above until served. Keep cooked meats hot by setting them to the side of the grill, or wrap well and place in an insulated container.
•Keep cold food at 40° F or below until served. Keep cold perishable food in a cooler until serving time. Keep coolers out of direct sun and avoid opening the lid often.
•Cold foods can be placed directly on ice or in a shallow container set in a pan of ice. Drain off water as ice melts and replace ice frequently.
•Don’t let hot or cold perishables sit out for longer than two hours, or one hour if the outdoor temperature is above 90° F. When reheating fully cooked meats, grill to 165° F or until steaming hot.
•Transport food in the passenger compartment of the car where it’s cooler—not in the trunk.
• Do not allow your cooler to sit in direct sunlight.

Put these items on your list - Tools for a safe barbecue:
•Food thermometer
•Several coolers: one for beverages (which will be opened frequently), one for raw meats, poultry, and seafood, and another for cooked foods and raw produce
•Ice or frozen gel packs for coolers
•Jug of water, soap, and paper towels for washing hands
•Enough plates and utensils to keep raw and cooked foods separate
•Foil or other wrap for leftovers

Source: www.FoodSafety.gov

Perfect BBQ Recipes

Citrus Herb Chicken and Vegetable Kabobs
Serves 6
Ingredients:
1 Pkg. McCormick Grill Mates Garlic Herb & Wine Marinade
1/4 Cup Meijer Orange Juice
1 tbsp. Lemon Juice
1/4 cup Meijer Olive Oil
1 1/2 lb. Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast Halves, cut into 1-1/2 inch cubes
4 Cups Assorted Fresh Vegetable Pieces, such as bell pepper, onion, corn, zucchini and mushrooms
Directions:
1. Mix Marinade Mix, orange juice, oil and lemon juice in small bowl. Place chicken cubes in large resealable plastic bag or glass dish. Add marinade; turn to coat well.
2. Refrigerate 15 minutes or longer for extra flavor. Remove chicken from marinade. Discard any remaining marinade.
3. Alternately thread chicken cubes and vegetable pieces onto skewers. Grill kabobs over medium heat 10 to 15 minutes or until chicken is cooked through, turning occasionally.
Nutrition Information (per serving): Calories 201, Fat 7g, Cholesterol 42mg, Sodium 354mg, Carbohydrates 10g, Fiber 2g, Protein 25g.
Recipe source: McCormick, www.meijermealbox.com

Johnsonville Honey Mustard Turkey Sausage Skewers
Serves 8
Ingredients
1 package (13.5 ounces) Johnsonville® Smoked Turkey Sausage
2 medium yellow onions
2 medium sweet red and yellow bell peppers
1 bottle (12 ounces) honey mustard
16 small metal or soaked wooden skewers
Directions
1. Cut each sausage link into six slices. Peel onion and cut into ½-inch pieces. Core peppers and cut into ½-inch pieces.
2. Thread sausage slice, onion slice, pepper slice and second sausage slice onto metal or soaked wooden skewer.
3. Grill skewers on charcoal or gas grill or on a grill pan over medium heat about 5-6 minutes. Turn and grill another 5-6 minutes or until vegetables are tender and sausage is hot. Brush with honey mustard serve.
Nutrition Information (per serving): Calories 273, Fat 14.5g, Cholesterol 42mg, Sodium 586mg, Carbohydrate 20g, Fiber 1g, Protein 10g.
**Serving suggestion: prepare skewers in advance and finish with honey mustard when it’s time to serve guests.

Grilled Corn Salad
Serves 8-10
Ingredients:
4 fresh ears of corn
1/3 c Meijer reduced fat Italian salad dressing
2 c fresh spinach, shredded
1 c orange bell pepper, chopped
2 c grape tomatoes, halved
2 t fresh basil, chopped
2 T Meijer grated reduced fat Parmesan cheese
Directions:
1. Remove husks and silks from corn. Brush with some of the salad dressing. Grill on the rack of an uncovered grill directly over medium heat for 15 to 20 minutes or until tender; turning often. When corn is cool enough to handle, cut kernels from cobs (yields about 2 cups kernels).
2. In a large bowl, combine corn kernels, spinach, peppers, tomatoes, and basil. Add remaining salad dressing; toss gently to coat. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Nutrition Information (per serving): Calories 57, Fat 2.5g, Cholesterol 0 mg, Sodium 28mg, Carbohydrate 8g, Fiber 2g, Protein 2g