A few simple precautions will help protect family and guests from bacteria when you barbecue, according to a Stanford Medical Center nutritionist.
It takes food-borne bacteria from 20 minutes to six weeks to affect people, so many don't even recall what they ate, according to Jo Ann Hattner, who is also a spokeswoman for the American Dietetics Association. Symptoms can include stomach cramps, vomiting, nausea, diarrhea or flulike effects.
The most important precautions are using a clean plate and cutting board, washing hands frequently and using a thermometer to check the meat temperature as you cook.
A common mistake is putting cooked meat or fish back on the same plate used to carry it to the grill. Plates and cutting boards should be washed in hot soapy water. And cutting boards with cracks need to be replaced.
It's also important to dry your hands on a clean rag, not one that was used to wipe down a surface that could have been contaminated with raw meat bacteria.
Bacteria is killed at temperatures above 140 degrees. But some meats, like dark meat in poultry, aren't fully cooked at less than 180 degrees.