Precooking
Precooking food partially in the microwave, oven, or stove is a good way of reducing smoking time. Just make sure that the food goes immediately in the preheated smoker to complete cooking.
Cook Thoroughly
Cook food to a safe internal temperature to destroy harmful bacteria. Meat and poultry cooked in a smoker often browns very fast on the outside. Use a food thermometer to be sure the food has reached a safe internal temperature. Whole poultry should reach 180 °F; breasts, 170 °F. Hamburgers made of ground beef should reach 160 °F; ground poultry, 165 °F. Beef, veal, and lamb steaks, roasts and chops can be cooked to 145 °F. All cuts of pork should reach 160 °F. NEVER partially smoke meat or poultry and finish cooking later. Vegetables should be cooked until tender.
Reheating
When reheating fully cooked meats like hot dogs, grill to 165 °F or until steaming hot.
Keep Hot Food Hot
After cooking meat and poultry on the grill, keep it hot until served at 140 °F or warmer.
Keep cooked meats hot by setting them in a warmer or oven, but do not allow them to overcook.
Serving the Food
When taking food out of the smoker, use a clean platter. Don’t put cooked food on the same platter that held raw meat or poultry. Any harmful bacteria present in the raw meat juices could contaminate safely cooked food.
In hot weather (above 90 °F), food should never sit out for more than 1 hour.
Leftovers
Refrigerate any leftovers promptly in shallow containers. Discard any food left out more than 2 hours (1 hour if temperatures are above 90 °F).
SKU 92388 | For technical questions, please call | Page 10 |