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Outdoor grilling is a popular way to prepare food during warmer weather while enjoying the company of family and friends. However, grilling does "open the door" to food-borne illness if proper cleanliness and preparation measures are not followed. Also, excessive smoke and charring may be unhealthy and should be avoided.

To keep your cookout a fond memory rather than a regretful experience, follow these simple steps:

FOOD PREPARATION

Select fresh meat, poultry, or seafood that is high quality for best cooking results.

Keep these perishable products at 40 degrees F or colder until immediately before grilling.

Thaw frozen foods in the refrigerator or defrost in microwave and immediately place on grill.

Marinate foods in the refrigerator and discard leftover marinade.

Wash your hands before and after working with raw meat, poultry or seafood.

Wash your work surfaces and cutting boards with hot, soapy water before and after preparing food. To sanitize, use 1 teaspoon bleach per quart of water. If possible, use a separate cutting board for fresh produce and raw meat, poultry, or seafood.

When away from home, keep your meat and poultry away from other food in a separate cooler with ice.

After placing raw meat on the grill, wash utensils and platters with hot, soapy water before using them to serve cooked food.

Cook foods to an internal temperature that destroys harmful bacteria.

Check the temperature by placing a thermometer in the center-most part of the meat, not touching the bone.

INTERNAL TEMPERATURES

Internal temperatures for thorough cooking to prevent food-borne illness are:

Whole poultry, 180 degrees F.

Poultry breasts, 170 degrees F.

Ground beef patties, 160 degrees F.

Ground poultry, 165 degrees F.

Beef, veal, or lamb steaks, roasts or chops, 145 degrees F.

All cuts of pork, 160 degrees F.

Serve food immediately after grilling or keep at 140 degrees F or above until served.

Place on a clean platter. Refrigerate all leftovers immediately at 40 degrees F or below.

Discard any food left out longer than 2 hours or 1 hour if temperature is above 90 degrees F.

GRILLING TIPS

To prevent heavy smoking or charring of food and less smoke in your eyes, follow these tips:

Choose low-fat meats or trim excess fat before grilling.

Precook meat in the microwave or by boiling to release juices that may cause flare-ups. Do not interrupt cooking. Immediately transfer precooked food to the grill to finish cooking and provide "cookout" flavor.

Avoid high-fat marinades or basting sauces.

Cover grill with aluminum foil. Punch holes between grids to remove juices.

To decrease heavy smoke from dripping fat, rearrange the food to another place on the grill, rotate the grill, or decrease the heat.

Cook meat until done but not charred. Remove charred or burned material from the food and discard. Do not eat charred or burned pieces.

Shelia Lewis is a Smith County Extension agent in family and consumer sciences. She can be reached via e-mail at sk-lewis@tamu.edu.