Barbequing is definitely part of our culture and with the summer here, more and more people are firing up their barbeques. Whether your preference is charcoal or gas, the rules for food safety and cooking are the same.

Every time you burn or blacken protein like meat, fish or poultry you are producing carcinogens. It's not exclusive to grilling, frying and roasting produce carcinogens as well. The solution is to marinate.

Marinating has several functions. It tenderizes, adds flavour, and reduces the total amount of carcinogens produced.

Choosing high antioxidant foods like lemon juice; herbs & spices like garlic, rosemary, oregano and basil; plus heat tolerant canola oil to make up your marinade, will reduce the amount of carcinogens formed while grilling. When making homemade burgers, adding garlic, rosemary, oregano or basil will reduce the amount of carcinogens formed as well.

Depending on the cut, marinate meat and poultry anywhere from 30 minutes to 24 hours. Fish is the exception. This delicate protein shouldn't be marinated for longer than one hour depending on the ingredients in the marinade. Marinate fish too long, and it will fall apart on the grill.

Use a non metallic shallow dish or a resealable plastic bag to marinate in. Make sure that the marinade coats all of the meat, fish or poultry and place in the fridge for the desired length of time.

When it's time to start cooking, preheat your barbeque on high for at least 5 minutes and make sure that any residue from the last barbeque has been burned off. Starting with a clean grill will help prevent most food from sticking.

Take the meat out of the fridge, remove from the marinade, and place the meat on a clean plate. Discard the marinade. Never use the marinade that the raw food was marinating in, to baste the food. This marinade may contain high levels of bacteria like E. coli, Salmonella and Listeria that aren't destroyed during the grilling process.

The elderly, young children or people with compromised immune systems are more at risk for foodborne illnesses. Health recommends that a safer choice is to reserve some of the marinade before you add it to the meat. Store this separately in the fridge and use it for basting or as a dipping sauce. The food safety rule of thumb is - always discard any marinade that was coating the meat.

Place meat on the grill, reduce heat to medium, and cook flipping often. Chefs worldwide will disagree, but from a health standpoint reducing or avoiding the blackened grill marks is the way to go.

Barbeque with the lid down, barbeques are really outdoor ovens that work best with the lid closed.

Test for doneness using a meat thermometer.
Take the meat off the grill and place it in a clean plate. Insert the food thermometer through the thickest part of the meat. For hamburgers, you should insert the food thermometer through the side of the patty, all the way to the middle.

Here are the temperatures for doneness:
Beef, veal and lamb (pieces and whole cuts)
Medium-rare 63°C (145°F)
Medium 71°C (160°F)
Well done 77°C (170°F)

Pork (pieces and whole cuts) 71°C (160°F)

Poultry (e.g. chicken, turkey, duck)
Pieces 74°C (165°F)
Whole 85°C (185°F)

Ground meat and meat mixtures (e.g. burgers, sausages, meatballs, meatloaf, casseroles) Beef, veal, lamb and pork 71°C (160°F)
Ground Poultry 74°C (165°F)

Once cooked remove from grill and place the meat on a clean plate, let it sit for at least five minutes before carving or serving. This allows the juices to redistribute and gives you a more tender and juicy piece of meat.

Grilling tips for health and food safety