BBQ safety tips for the weekend

Ireland is actually having a proper summer this year and, naturally, the barbecue has been dragged out from behind the recycling bin and ceremonially dusted off. If you’ve already fired up the grill this week — or you’re planning to before Saturday’s fine weather slips away — there’s some genuinely useful advice doing the rounds from Safefood and home chef Marcus O’Laoire that’s worth a minute of your time.

Because here’s the thing. Between chasing children around the garden, fielding requests for more ketchup and trying to keep the dog out of the potato salad, it’s easy to wing the actual cooking part. And most of us do. New research from Safefood reveals that while 84% of people are worried about food poisoning, very few of us are actually checking that our barbecue food is properly cooked through. Only 10% use a meat thermometer for sausages, 16% for burgers and 26% for chicken breasts — even though more than half of Irish home cooks (55%) would happily use one for a roast chicken or turkey in the oven.

The charred-outside, pink-inside problem

This is the barbecue trap almost everyone falls into. The outside of a burger can look absolutely done — even a little too done — while the inside is still dangerously undercooked. Trish Twohig, Director of Food Safety at Safefood, explains it well: “Cooking outdoors on a barbecue presents unique challenges because of uneven heat and open flames. The outside of a burger or chicken breast can quickly look charred, while the inside remains undercooked. A meat thermometer is a helpful way to ensure you have killed off food poisoning bacteria without having to overcook your food.”

Which also explains something the Safefood research turned up: 87% of people admit to cooking meat for longer than necessary just to be absolutely sure it’s done. We’re all overcooking out of anxiety, ending up with dry, rubbery sausages when we didn’t need to. A thermometer fixes this. That’s it. That’s the whole tip.

How to actually use one (it’s easier than you think)

A lot of people assume thermometers are for professional kitchens. Safefood found that not knowing how to use one is among the main reasons people skip it — but Marcus O’Laoire breaks it down simply:

“For smaller barbecue items like burgers or sausages, insert the thermometer probe horizontally through the side of the meat rather than straight down from the top, ensuring the tip sits right in the very centre. Just wait for it to read 75°C and you know it’s safe to serve.”

That’s genuinely it. 75°C at the core means harmful bacteria like E. coli and Salmonella are gone. And 53% of those surveyed said they’d be more likely to use a thermometer if they knew it meant their food was definitely safe — so clearly the appeal is there once people understand how straightforward it is.

Marcus also flags what happens before the meat even hits the grill: “Always thaw your meat completely in the fridge on the bottom shelf before cooking, and keep raw meats entirely separate from ready-to-eat foods like salads and burger buns. Wash the thermometer probe with hot, soapy water after each measurement to prevent cross-contamination.”

Safefood’s quick checklist for a safe barbecue

Clean the grill before the first use of the season and rinse with hot soapy water after each use.
Never cook straight from the freezer. Always thaw meat fully in the fridge, covered and on the bottom shelf.
Light the barbecue early and wait until charcoal flames have died down to a glowing grey ash before cooking.
Use separate utensils and plates for raw and cooked foods — never reuse raw-meat marinades on cooked food.
Keep salads, dips and coleslaw in the fridge until you’re ready to serve them.
Refrigerate leftovers within two hours, eat within three days and reheat only once until piping hot.

No thermometer to hand? Safefood’s three visual checks still apply: pierce the thickest part of the meat and check that the juices run clear, it’s piping hot all the way through and there’s no pink meat visible.

Safefood has also released a series of short how-to videos on their social media channels showing exactly how to use a thermometer on different cuts. For more tips and advice visit safefood.net.