But beware, health experts warn that cooking food outdoors can drastically increase the risk of food poisoning. That's because it is harder to keep foods very hot or very cold and to keep everything clean.
So, here are six simple rules to follow to stay safe this barbecue season:
• Light the barbecue well in advance and wait until it is glowing red (with a powdery grey surface) before starting to cook.
• Keep meats, salads and other perishable foods in a cool bag with ice packs or in the fridge until just before cooking or eating them. Serve salads at the last minute
• During cooking, turn food often. If it starts to burn on the outside raise the grill height or reduce the heat of the charcoal (dampen coals slightly or partially close air vents)
• Cook poultry, burgers, sausages and pork throughout - no pink bits in the middle. If possible, fully pre-cook all poultry and sausages in the oven or microwave then take it straight to the barbecue to add the final barbecue flavour.
• Keep raw and cooked foods apart at all times. Don't handle cooked foods with utensils that have touched raw meats or put cooked or ready-to-eat food on plates that have held raw meats.
Finally, if you are looking for quality barbecue meats, then look no further than Burts Family Butchers for the finest sausages, burgers, chciken and steaks!
