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Memorial Day grilling: How to avoid food borne illnesses

Memorial Day grilling: How to avoid food borne illnesses
Posted at 8:50 AM, May 26, 2018
and last updated 2018-05-26 08:50:32-04

For many people, Memorial Day weekend is the official start of grilling season.

Before you fire up the grill there are a few things you should know to keep what you're serving safe.

FOX 47's Cryss Walker spoke with a local doctor about food borne illnesses.

Michael Smith from King's BBQ says he knows a lot about grilling meat to perfection.

“Ribs come in a slab so usually when you cook them golden brown but if you can fold them and flex them, they’re just about ready.”

Making sure your meat is ready for consumption is key to avoid food borne illnesses.

According to the Michigan Department of Community Health, food should be cooked long enough and high enough to kill harmful bacteria.

The CD says ground meats, like beef and pork, should be cooked to 160 degrees and 165 degrees for poultry.

Dr. Melody Angel from Lansing Urgent Care says it’s also important to wash your hands and utensils before and after handling food.

“Completely wash your hands”, said Dr. Angel.

“Wipe off any knives before you move it over and start preparing salad or something like that… that isn't going to be cooked.”

Dr. Angel says if you're inviting people over for a meal this holiday weekend, keep cooked foods away from raw meat and chill food to avoid bacteria growth.

“If foods have been out for you know more than like three hours or something like that you really want to get them cooled down again”, Dr. angel explained.

“Or you want to completely heat them up and cook them for a good, you know, 10 minutes… such that it would kill any bacteria in there.”

According to the CDC, more than 300,000 people in the U.S. are sent to the hospital every year as a result of food illnesses.