Letters: People, not meat make grilling unsafe

The dangers of grilling don’t come from the meat, as the July 4 letter, “Beware of barbequed bugs,” suggested. It’s from people who think they know how to grill.

Any experienced griller knows that uncooked sausages, such as hot dogs and bratwurst, must be cooked before grilling. Just 10 minutes in boiling water, and they are ready. Then the grill only re-heats them and puts a nice smokey brown on the casing. The reduced grilling time avoids burning the casings, a common complaint.

The ground beef for burgers should be purchased at a meat market or butcher shop, not from a grocery. That reduces the threat of E. coli to almost zero, and improves the taste. A good meat market knows how to properly handle beef when grinding. Using ground chuck will allow for longer cooking time as well since the 20 percent fat content helps retain juiciness.

Instead of scaring people, let’s inform them as to proper grilling technique.