All equipment and utensils used for barbecues that are seldom used at any other time must be thoroughly cleaned prior to use.
Maintain high standards of personal hygiene and avoid handling food.
Keep raw and cooked foods apart at all times; especially on the barbecue.
Use different equipment for raw food, as opposed to cooked food.
e.g. red coloured tongs for raw meat, brown coloured tongs for cooked meat.
Make sure all food is thoroughly cooked. For example cut a sample of food in half and check for an even colour throughout. If not, then barbecue the food for longer, and repeat the process. No blood should be visible on chicken pieces.
It is good practice to cook larger items (e.g. whole chicken) in a conventional oven beforehand, and finish off on the barbecue.
Make sure the barbecue is preheated, with the charcoal only glowing and all the flames died down, before placing the food on the grill; otherwise the outside of the food will burn while the centre remains undercooked.
All food that is kept outside should be kept a minimum of 18 inches off the ground.
Food should be barbecued to order. Any barbecued food cooked in advance should either be held above 63oC or cooled within 90 minutes and stored below 5oC.
Always provide a bin with a lid for rubbish, which should be emptied regularly.