Let’s Get Grillin’!

grilling burgers

Memorial Weekend starts the picnic and grilling season for most of us. From hamburgers to steaks to chicken or ribs, nothing is safe from the flames.

But we need to do it right to keep it safe for everyone.

Wash your hands

That goes without saying, you have to keep clean around food and that includes your hands. But do you wash them between handling different types of meat? Put the chicken on, then wash your hands before picking up the burgers or ribs. Bacteria can spread easily between as you touch the different meats without washing. And use a different cutting board or wash the cutting board for each type of meat.

Use a thermometer

Good chefs keep a meat thermometer nearby. That chop may look done, but is it? Here are the three temperatures you should remember:

1. 145 degrees Fahrenheit for steaks, roasts, chops, fish, and other whole cuts of meat
2. 160 F for ground meat, including beef, pork, and lamb
3. 165 F for poultry

To read the temperature accurately, put the point of the thermometer into the center of the meat but never touching the bone. Thinner cuts, like burgers, insert it from the side.

Keep meat cold

Keep your meat in the refrigerator until you are ready to cook it. Room temperature is an invitation for bacteria to form. If you need to bring it out, due to the distance of the grill and your fridge, don’t let it sit out for more than 30 minutes.

Keep hot and cold cold

Many grills have a warming rack where you can keep those extra burgers until they are eaten. I make an ice tray, but filling a cake pan with water, then freezing it days before the picnic. Place the salad bowls on top of the ice pan. Any cold foods will stay cold but won’t soggy.

And, of course, promptly move the leftovers to the fridge so they will stay good. Just plan to eat them within 2 or 3 days.

So, what are you waiting for? Let’s get grillin’ and enjoy ourselves this summer.

KeiLin Farm, a producer of farm fresh beef, chicken, pork,  and eggs, is located in Davisburg, Michigan. Check out our website to discover all of our products and services.

A Chicken in Every Pot!

This phrase was the Republican campaign slogan in the late 1920’s but its origin goes back to France in the 16^th century. Henri IV had “supposedly wished” that every peasant, no matter how poor, could have chicken every Sunday.

Chicken? Why chicken? Why not a nice juicy Angus T-bone steak?

Until the 1940’s chickens and eggs were luxury food. Most chickens were raised by small farmers or individuals. They were very expensive to feed since they needed grain. Even a small homestead might raise some chickens, but they could easily raise a cow on grass and a pig or two by feeding them scraps and having them browse the orchard.

Chickens were a commodity that most people enjoyed but few could afford. But during both World Wars it became patriotic to raise chickens. Chickens helped supplement the family with eggs and then the chicken dinner. Some were raised for the troops as well.

It wasn’t until the 1940’s that chickens because plentiful and affordable for most families. And in many families, the food of choice for a variety of reasons. They are no longer a luxury.

I can’t promise you a chicken in every pot or chicken every summer, but I can tell you that our chickens are housed in large living quarters, protected from predators, and feed non-GMO feed.

Farm fresh is naturally delicious. Be sure to order your chickens today!

KeiLin Farm, a producer of farm fresh beef, turkeys, broiler chickens and eggs, is located in Rose Township, Michigan. It is in the process of acquiring the required licenses to become a small wine maker.