Safe Cooking Barbecue Tips

Grilling out is all good fun, but there are a few things to keep in mind for a successful barbecue. First and foremost remember that the food is cooked by the heat and not by the flames. You don't want the huge flourishing flames when you start to cook. And if the flames are reaching the food you might want to raise the grilling grate if you can. A quick tip is to keep a spray bottle of water nearby to spray the flames down if you're not able to raise the grilling grate.There are different temperatures required for different meats, and for different cuts of meat. You will want to pay attention to this, because, if you cook the meat on the wrong temperature, and/or for the wrong period of time, you will wind up with tough meat. You can monitor the temperature of the meat with a special barbecue thermometer. Just like in your kitchen you'll want a selection of tools and utensils within reach. Keep two sets handy, one for raw foods, and one for cooked foods. This will ensure that all your meat handling is safe and no bacteria is passed around in the serving process. You'll want cooking utensils that are at least 12 inches long and fairly thick and sturdy to grasp and flip even the heaviest steak and to turn over those veggies from a safe distance. A basic barbeque utensil set includes tongs, fork, and a spatula or two. Keep a wire grill brush handy to clean the grilling grates before and after every grilling session. There are grill cleaning sprays out there, similar to oven cleaner, but those all contain chemicals that you probably want to avoid when it comes to surfaces that touch your food. A basic metal grill brush and taking a few minutes to scrub off the grates will be enough to keep things tasting the way they should and keep your grill ready to cook out all year round.