Barbecues are a relaxed and fun way to have a meal, either with just your family or with friends. They can be used to celebrate most occasions or just to have a picnic on the beach. For this reason, the last thing you want to do is make your family or guests ill from food poisoning because of your cooking.
The most likely source of food poisoning at a barbecue is from chicken. One of the favorites at a bbq is chicken drumsticks or chicken breasts. Because these are thick and the heat from a barbecue cooks fast, quite often the center of the chicken is not cooked through, leading to bacteria not being killed, resulting in food poisoning.
However, there are ways that you can still have your favorite barbecue chicken recipe safely and cooked to perfection. To do this a few simple steps need to be taken before you even start to cook the food.
Firstly, when shopping, buy cold food like meat and poultry last, before checkout. Separate raw meat and poultry from other food in your shopping basket to guard against cross-contamination. This can happen when raw meat or poultry juices drip on other foods. Put packages of raw meat and poultry into plastic bags.
Always take your produce straight home and not leave it in a warm car. Once home place your chicken straight in the fridge. If it is not to be used for 1-2 days store in the freezer.
If your chicken has been frozen completely thaw meat and poultry before grilling so it cooks more evenly. Use the refrigerator for slow, safe thawing or thaw sealed packages in cold water.
If marinating your chicken marinate it covered in the refrigerator, not on the work top. Chicken can be marinated in the fridge for up to two days, but no longer. If some of the marinade is to be used as a sauce on the cooked food, reserve a portion of the marinade before putting the chicken in it. However, if the marinade used on raw meat or poultry is to be reused, make sure to let it come to a boil first to destroy any harmful bacteria.
Your chicken should be kept chilled until just before needed. Chicken is best cooked on the bbq in small fairly thin pieces to ensure that it gets cooked thoroughly. Chicken fillet kebabs are an ideal dish for this. Food cooked on the bbq can often brown on the outside, but not cook on the inside. Using a food thermometer will show you if it has reached a sufficient internal temperature. After it has been cooked, keep it hot until served. Any chicken that is left out for more than an hour should be discarded.
One of the best and very simple barbecue chicken recipes that can be cooked safely is American BBQ chicken kebabs.
Ingredients: Serves 4
* 450 g (1 lb) boneless, skinless chicken breast, cubed
* 1 courgette, cut into chunks
* 1 red pepper, cut into chunks
* 1 tbs olive oil
* 1-2 tbs Barbecue Seasoning
Method
Place the chicken and vegetables in a bowl and coat evenly with the oil and Barbecue Seasoning. Thread onto 4 skewers or kebab sticks, alternating the chicken and vegetables.Place on the barbecue for 10-15 minutes, turning occasionally until cooked throughout.
Serve the kebabs on a bed of mixed leaf salad.
If using wooden skewers remember to soak them for at least an hour to stop them from burning.
As well as making sure you follow safety tips when cooking chicken it is important to keep your barbecue clean at all times. Cleaning your bbq straight after cooking and using a cover to protect your bbq will help to keep it a hygienic place to cook.
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