The summer grilling season kicks into high gear with this weekend's Memorial Day holiday, bringing friends and family together.

Caitlin Mellendorf, a nutrition educator with the University of Illinois Extension in DeWitt, Macon, and Piatt Counties, explains that preparing multiple types of meat on the same grilling surface requires careful planning. Because different items, such as chicken and ground beef, have vastly different required cooking temperatures to successfully kill harmful bacteria, keeping cooking utensils and thermometers separated is vital to preventing cross-contamination. 

To optimize safety when grilling a diverse menu, Mellendorf recommends carefully planning the order of what gets cooked first. Fruits and vegetables, which have grown increasingly popular to grill, inherently carry a much lower bacterial risk compared to raw meats and should ideally be cooked first.

According to Mellendorf, properly sanitizing the grill between uses is another foundational defense, not only for health reasons but also to preserve flavor. If residual debris and char are left behind from a previous cookout, those bitter flavors will directly transfer into the next batch of food, ruining the taste of delicate items like fruits or fresh vegetables. 

When preparing meats, relying on visual cues like color is unreliable. The USDA emphasizes using a food thermometer to verify that the core of the meat has reached these specific safety thresholds.

Mellendorf reminds poultry should reach a temperature of 165°F internally. Whole cuts of meat like steaks, chops, or roasts should reach 145°F internal temperature, and fresh fish should be cooked to 145°F internal temperature. 

The USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline is available toll-free at 1-888-MPHotline, or 1-888-674-6854. You can also email MPHotline@usda.gov, or a live chat option is available via www.ask.usda.gov

The USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline is manned weekdays, Monday through Friday, from 10 am to 6 pm ET.