Follow these tips to ensure food safety throughout the grilling season: 
  • Wash hands with hot, soapy water before and after handling any meat products.
  • Thoroughly wash all utensils, containers, cutting boards and work surfaces.
  • Thaw frozen foods in the refrigerator or the microwave, following manufacturer's directions. Grill
  • Marinate foods in the refrigerator, not at room temperature. Discard any remaining marinade.
  • Never chop vegetables or salad ingredients on the same cutting board used to prepare raw meats, fish or poultry, unless the board is thoroughly sanitized between uses.
  • Use a meat thermometer to judge the doneness of large pork cuts. When the internal temperature reaches 155 degrees F., remove from heat and allow meat to stand for 10 minutes. The meat's internal temperature will rise about 5 degrees after cooking.
  • Wash plates used to carry uncooked food to the grill, and use a clean plate to transport cooked foods from the grill to the serving area. Tip: cover clean plate with plastic wrap to transport meat to grill; place meat on grill and discard plastic wrap. Use clean plate to transport cooked meat to serving table.
  • Refrigerate or freeze leftovers promptly. Don't leave perishable foods at room temperature for longer than two hours.
Source: National Pork Board

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