Burgers at BBQ

[lynbrown]

I dont want to offend my host at a BBQ but how do i ensure that he has properly cooked the burgers? Am i right in thinking there should be not a trace of pink showing? I wish i could suggest an alternative - can anyone think of a non meat option?

[joko]

veggie burgers ans sausages - quorn is best

or veg kebabs

[falloutgirl]

I thought it was down to personal choice, just like a steak. Am I wrong?

[Ethel]

falloutgirl - the shop bought mass produced burger should always be very thoroughly cooked, so no pink whatsoever.

Home made burgers with fresh best beef are safer if you want pink burgers.

[southerngirl]

If I have a BBQ I always put the meat in the microwave for a short while, not so they're cooked through, but enough so that when they are on the BBQ they just need to be on there a short while and they don't get too burnt either!!

[Zeddy]

Bacteria is found on the outside of a steak (essentially the muscle). If it is cooked rare the outer surfaces will be seared andd thus the bacteria will be killed.

However, any burger is made by mincing the said meat and when you churn the meat inside out you do the same to the bacteria thus it is distributed throughout the burger. A burger should ALWAYS be cooked thoroughly all the way through.

Yes the juices should run clear.

Why not present your host with a "jokey" gift of a probe thermometer and insist they try it out.

The centre of the burger should be cooked to 75oC.

Good luck!

[shazzzz]

burgers should always be cooked throughly all the meat should be brown if you can see any pink meat ask your friend to do his zip up

[curiosity]

I know it sounds over the top, but I think the probe idea is a great one, I was buying one myself to check our food at home on BBQ days, not all the time . You can get them fairly cheap, and with your bottle of wine (or case of lager & bottle of wine) turn up and say "bought you a present, the new big things in BBQ (ing) are these probes, where you test the food temp and reassure your guests that if they are ill the next day it was the beer not the food. They are next years Patio Heater!"

[n00dles]

Boy, I must lead a dangerous life!

All the times I've eaten burgers in the Hard Rock Cafe, in the USA, The Great American Disaster/Leicester Square I've ordered them medium rare...Never had a tummy upset in my life. The excellent ones I buy from Waitrose (fresh meat counter, not pre-packed), are seared on the outside and pink in the middle...ditto to last reference...

I shall continue to eat them this way!!

[lynbrown]

Thansk to all, i have been saved however, its raining here, so no BBQ!!

[Zeddy]

Re the rare burgers eaten all the time.

Good for you.

E. coli 0157 was first discovered in a burger in 1982 in USA.

"Since the beginning of August 1982, stool isolates of Escherichia coli serotype 0157:H7 have been identified at CDC from specimens obtained from four patients in two states. The four patients with sporadic cases in which E. coli was isolated from stools and 24 of the remaining 25 patients with sporadic cases had eaten hamburgers from a variety of sources (including homes and/or local or national-chain restaurants) within the week before they became ill."

http://www.foodsafety.gov/~mow/chap15.html

[falloutgirl]

Oh dear, a restaurant served me a medium rare burger!! Thanks for the pointer

xx falloutgirl xx

[sweetdor]

you could try a food probe of which it should read at the middle or the thickest part 75degrees

[sweetdor]

to follow on i ALWAYS eat ny meat blue its the only way to eat beef lamb so much more taste

good luck

[Goodsoulette]

I love a bloody rare steak but always eat burgers cooked through ( not frozen rubbish either).

I thought in the states or proper restaurants that served burgers you got a choice like a steak of how its cooked.

I dont buy the mincing up the germs and distributing them throughout your burger malarky (sorry), it sounds plausible but not quite right.

[n00dles]

I agree, goodsoulette

The E coli police are everywhere!

How about all those die hards out there who eat Steak Tartare (raw minced steak).

And by the way g, no need to swear "bloody" rare steak ! Lol ;-}

I guess the Veggies will be marking our cards !!

[Zeddy]

Goodsoulette -

"Rare meat
It's fine to eat steaks and other whole cuts of beef and lamb rare, as long as they have been properly 'sealed'. Steaks are usually sealed in a frying pan over a high heat.

It's important to seal meat to kill any bacteria that might be on the outside. You can tell that a piece of meat has been properly sealed because all the outside will have changed colour.

It's OK to serve beef and lamb joints rare too, as long as the joint is a single piece of meat, not a rolled joint (made from different pieces of meat rolled together).

But pork joints and rolled joints shouldn't be served rare. To check these types of joint are properly cooked, put a skewer into the centre of the joint. The juices shouldn't have any pink or red in them.

Remember, you shouldn't eat these types of meat rare:


poultry
pork
burgers, sausages, chicken nuggets
rolled joints
kebabs
This is because these types of meat can have bacteria all the way through them. So if they aren't properly cooked then any bacteria in the meat might not be killed."

http://www.eatwell.gov.uk/keepingfoodsafe/cooking/#elem219444

If anyone thinks E. coli O157 is a passing fad, I hope you don't have children who you decide to feed rare burgers to.

It is reported that 10 single organisms can cause foodborne illness. Most bacteria require 100000 to 1 million to cause illness. 100000 would fit comfortably on the top of a pin head.

Steak tartare?

On your own head be it. It IS a high risk food.