As Memorial Day weekend kicks off the busiest grilling stretch of the year, public health guidance is clear: keep food cold, cook to the right temperatures, and treat raw meat handling as a critical step—not an afterthought.
The grill is already warming up. the coolers are being hauled out. and for many families. Memorial Day weekend means the same thing every year: burgers on the grate and friends gathered close. But this holiday also comes with a warning that can’t be waved away—foodborne illness doesn’t need fancy menus or big celebrations to strike.
Memorial Day, on Monday, May 25, honors U.S. military personnel who died serving their country. It’s also widely treated as the unofficial start of outdoor grilling season. That combination of tradition and routine can make it easy to miss what matters most at the picnic table: safety steps that keep germs from turning a backyard cookout into a medical problem.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that as many as 48 million people get sick from a foodborne illness each year, with 128,000 hospitalized and 3,000 dying.
“Memorial Day weekend” doesn’t have a menu on its own—but the CDC points to common culprits: raw or undercooked meat and poultry, along with unwashed fruits and vegetables, can carry germs that cause food poisoning.
“When planning a cookout. think beyond the menu and make a food safety game plan. ” said Quad Whitson. extension culinary nutrition and food safety program associate for the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture. in a food safety primer. “A little preparation up front can prevent a lot of problems later. ” Whitson added. noting that outdoor cookouts may require additional supplies such as a well-insulated cooler. Cold foods should stay at 40 degrees Fahrenheit or below, and hot foods should be kept at 140 degrees or above.
Before you light the grill: the steps start in the cart
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service and the Food and Drug Administration outline a chain of preparation steps that begin long before the first burger hits the grates.
Keep it cold. When shopping, select meat, poultry, or fish last, and keep raw items separate from other groceries in your shopping cart. Refrigerate raw meat as soon as you get home. Freeze poultry and ground meat that won’t be used within 2 days, and freeze other meat within 4 to 5 days.
Thaw carefully. If possible, defrost frozen meat and poultry in the refrigerator. Sealed packages can be thawed in cold water. If a microwave is used to thaw, the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service says the food should go straight onto the grill.
Marinate safely. Marinate in the refrigerator—do not thaw or marinate meat, poultry, or seafood on the counter. Dispose of marinade after it has been used with raw meat. If some marinade will be used as a sauce for cooked food. set aside a portion before raw meat goes into it. If you want to brush sauce onto meat or poultry during grilling. boil it for a few minutes to destroy bacteria.
Cooking temperatures: a thermometer beats guesswork
Even when ingredients are handled correctly, grilling is where safety can slip if cooking is incomplete. The guidance emphasizes internal temperatures because bacteria can survive if meat isn’t cooked enough.
E. coli is specifically highlighted by the CDC as an organism linked to recurring recalls of ground beef and leafy greens. The CDC notes that an E. coli infection can lead to dehydration. bloody diarrhea. and abdominal cramps three to four days after exposure—and potentially kidney failure in children younger than 5 years old. adults 65 and older. and people with weakened immune systems.
A food thermometer is the tool meant to make those risks harder to ignore. Place the thermometer in the thickest part of the meat and read the temperature after 10 to 20 seconds.
The USDA’s FSIS says poultry should be cooked to at least 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
Hot dogs and burgers made of ground beef, pork, veal, or lamb should reach 160 degrees Fahrenheit. All cuts of pork should also reach 160 degrees Fahrenheit.
For medium-rare steaks, roasts, chops, and other whole cuts of meat, cook to at least 145 degrees Fahrenheit (62.6 degrees Celsius) and allow the meat to rest for three minutes after removal from the grill. To cook meat to medium, increase the temperature to 160 degrees Fahrenheit.
For fish, cook to 145 degrees Fahrenheit or until the flesh is opaque and separates easily with a fork, according to safe cooking temperature charts from the CDC and USDA.
Stop germs from spreading: cutting boards, utensils, and sinks
A cookout can go wrong without anyone “doing the wrong thing.” One moment of casual reuse—one platter, one board, one utensil—can spread contamination from raw meat to foods that won’t be cooked again.
The CDC suggests using one cutting board or plate for raw meat, poultry, and seafood, and a separate one for produce, bread, and other foods that won’t be cooked.
It also warns against using the same platters and utensils to take raw meat to the grill and then to collect cooked meat and poultry. Wash those items or use different ones.
Unless rinsing is required because of a marinade or brine. there’s no need to rinse raw chicken or meat before cooking. The FoodSafety.gov website. maintained by the Department of Health & Human Services. says washing can spread germs to the sink. counter. and other foods. possibly making people sick.
Transport matters too. If food is taken to a cookout, pack raw meat in sealed containers or bags, then place them at the bottom of a cooler so juices don’t drip onto other foods.
Once meat is on the grill, wash counters and take platters and utensils used to put meat on the grill back to the kitchen for washing with hot, soapy water.
Handwashing is non-negotiable. The CDC recommends washing hands for at least 20 seconds after handling uncooked meat, poultry, seafood, flour, or eggs, as well as after preparing food and before eating.
The hardest part isn’t only cooking—it’s what happens after
When Memorial Day guests arrive, it’s easy to focus on the moment of grilling. But the guidance doesn’t let anyone off the hook after the food is served.
Keep cold food on ice before and even during serving. Warm food should be held at or above 140 degrees Fahrenheit, which may require insulation until it’s served.
Then there is “The Two-Hour Rule,” explained by USDA food safety expert Meredith Carothers: it’s how long perishable food can be safely out at room temperature or outside temperatures before bacteria reach dangerous levels that can’t be thwarted by reheating.
And for hot conditions, the window shrinks. Carothers said when temperatures are above 90 degrees Fahrenheit, the time reduces to only one hour.
Refrigerate leftovers promptly in small containers. Warm food can go directly into the refrigerator or back into the insulated cooler in smaller portions. Large items such as whole roasts or hams should be cut into smaller parts before refrigerating; legs and wings may be left whole.
If people aren’t sure whether food stayed cold enough, Whitson’s advice is blunt: “When in doubt, throw it out.” He added that when leftovers are reheated later, they should reach 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
The sequence is simple: keep temperature control tight, cook to the minimum internal temperatures laid out by USDA guidance, and treat raw meat handling like it matters—because it does.
Memorial Day grilling safety food poisoning prevention USDA FSIS CDC burgers cooking temperatures food thermometer Two-Hour Rule cooler safety raw meat handling