How to Record a Barbecue Safety Video for Your Food Safety Management System

Barbecues present unique food safety challenges that don't exist in conventional kitchen cooking. Temperature is difficult to control, food often burns on the outside while remaining raw inside, and the strict hygiene controls of a kitchen are harder to maintain outdoors. This video will train your team to cook safely on barbecues—from proper fire preparation through separation, temperature verification, and handling the ready-to-eat items that accompany barbecue service.

Step 1: Set the scene and context

Start your video by explaining why barbecues need dedicated procedures and what makes them different from kitchen cooking. This context helps staff understand the specific hazards they're managing.

If barbecues are used on site, then special steps must be taken to ensure the safety of food produced. Unlike cooking foods in an oven, the cooking temperature of barbecued food is difficult to control. Often foods will cook relatively quick at the surface but remain raw or semi cooked in other parts of the food.

Explain the multiple hazards of outdoor cooking:

• Uneven cooking (burnt outside, raw inside)
• Foreign body contamination from the outdoor environment
• Pests such as flies contaminating foods
• The strict hygiene controls carried out in a kitchen can be more difficult to maintain outside in the open
• Hand wash basins may not be readily available for hand washing

The combination of these factors makes barbecue cooking higher risk than standard kitchen cooking. Staff must understand that barbecue food safety requires extra vigilance, not less.

Film your opening at your barbecue setup, showing the equipment, the outdoor environment, and any hygiene facilities available.

Step 2: Plan what to record versus what to write down

Barbecue safety involves both visual demonstration of techniques and documentation of temperature checks. The video shows the outdoor cooking skills; the written documents provide the verification evidence.

Record on video:

• What properly prepared charcoal looks like (glowing red with grey edges, no flames)
• The burnt outside/raw inside problem and how to recognise it
• Pre-cooking technique in oven or microwave before finishing on barbecue
• The left-to-right workflow for separation (raw left, cooked right)
• Using separate tongs for raw and cooked
• Temperature probing of barbecued foods
• What 75°c looks like on a probe for burgers and sausages
• Keeping RTE foods in cold storage until immediately before serving
• Hand hygiene challenges and solutions outdoors
• Equipment cleaning before, during, and after service

Document in written procedures:

• Your minimum cooking temperature for barbecued foods (75°c)
• Temperature monitoring record format for barbecue events
• Pre-cooking procedures for high-risk items
• RTE food storage requirements during barbecue service
• Equipment maintenance and cleaning schedules
• Corrective actions when temperatures aren't reached
• Training records for barbecue-qualified staff

The video shows HOW to barbecue safely. The written documents specify the temperature requirements and provide the evidence of compliance.

Step 3: Core rules and requirements

Structure your video around the eight critical elements of barbecue food safety.

Hygiene challenges outdoors

Ensure that food handlers maintain high standards of personal hygiene and maintain recommended hand washing frequencies, especially when handling raw products and high risk cooked or RTE products.

All utensils and equipment must be cleaned and disinfected before, during and after service. Staff should be vigilant and careful not to use utensils such as cooking tongs to pick up raw or semi raw products then handling cooked foods with the same utensils.

Good hygiene practices will be especially important as hand wash basins may not be readily available for hand washing. Plan for this—bring hand washing facilities, sanitiser, or position the barbecue near accessible washing points.

Storage until cooking

Ensure that any foods to be barbequed are only removed from storage immediately prior to cooking. Do not allow foods to sit around at ambient temperatures.

High protein and perishable foods left at ambient temperatures for even a short time can become hazardous when multiplication of bacteria takes place once food is put into the danger zone (5-63°c).

This is especially important outdoors where ambient temperatures may be higher than inside. On a warm day, food sitting on a prep table reaches dangerous temperatures much faster than in a temperature-controlled kitchen.

Defrosting requirements

Ensure that high protein foods such as meat, fish and poultry are fully defrosted prior to barbequing.

Foods that have not been adequately defrosted will not cook evenly putting consumers at risk of food poisoning from bacteria that may have survived the cooking process. A frozen centre means the outside burns while the inside remains at temperatures where bacteria survive.

Charcoal preparation

For safer cooking on a barbeque it is important to ensure that the barbeque is lit well in advance to allow the fire to develop properly.

The charcoal should be glowing red with grey powdered edges before any cooking starts to take place. Do not cook whilst visible flames are seen as the fire will not be hot enough.

This seems counterintuitive—flames look hot. But flames indicate incomplete combustion. The consistent, even heat needed for safe cooking comes from properly established coals, not from visible flames.

The burnt outside/raw inside problem

Burnt food can give the impression that it has fully cooked. This is not true with barbeques as they often burn foods very quickly on the outside surface whilst the inside is not fully cooked.

If food starts to burn too quickly, then raise the grill height or turn down the heat (if a gas barbeque) or damp the coals if not. The solution is controlling the heat, not accepting burnt-outside/raw-inside as normal.

This is why temperature probing is essential for barbecued food—you cannot judge doneness by appearance.

Pre-cooking for safety

Whenever possible it is safer to pre-cook foods in the oven or microwave prior to finishing off the cooking process on the barbeque.

Use clean and disinfected utensils and containers whilst transferring semi cooked foods. This two-stage approach ensures thorough cooking while still achieving the barbecue flavour and appearance customers expect.

Pre-cooking is especially important for chicken, thick sausages, and other items that are difficult to cook through on a barbecue without burning the outside.

Processed meats and poultry

All poultry products and processed meats, such as burgers and sausages must be cooked thoroughly to a temperature above 75°c. This must be checked with a food probe.

Poultry products can be potentially contaminated completely throughout the product, whereas processed meats such as burgers contain minced meat products—the bacteria present on the original surface of the meat will have been transferred to the inside of the product by the mincing process.

There are no exceptions to this rule. All poultry and processed meats on the barbecue must reach 75°c throughout, verified by probing.

Separation and rotation

Ensure separate areas of the barbeque are used for raw, cooking and cooked foods. Ensure that raw products and their juices/blood does not touch or drip onto cooking or cooked foods.

Ideally, it is best to cook all raw foods at once and remove the cooked foods prior to the placement of the next batch. If this is not possible, it is good practice to work from left to right, introducing raw foods from the left, cooked foods must be kept separated on the right of the barbeque, ensuring that separate tongs are used.

Step 4: Demonstrate or walk through

This is where you show staff exactly what safe barbecue cooking looks like.

Charcoal preparation demonstration

Show the correct approach:

"I'm lighting the barbecue now—we need food ready in 45 minutes, so I'm starting the fire well in advance."

"The charcoal should be glowing red with grey powdered edges before any cooking starts. Watch as the fire develops..."

"See these visible flames? This fire isn't ready. The flames indicate the charcoal is still combusting, not producing the steady heat we need."

"Now look—the charcoal is glowing red with grey ash on the edges. No visible flames. This is when we start cooking. The heat is consistent and controllable now."

Pre-cooking demonstration

Show the technique:

"These chicken thighs are thick—they'll burn on the outside before cooking through on the barbecue. I'm pre-cooking them."

"Whenever possible it is safer to pre-cook foods in the oven or microwave prior to finishing off on the barbeque."

"I've cooked these to 70°c in the oven. They're essentially cooked through—now I'm transferring them to the barbecue to finish. Use clean and disinfected utensils and containers whilst transferring semi cooked foods."

"On the barbecue, I'm just finishing the exterior—getting the char and flavour. The inside is already safely cooked."

Storage until cooking

Demonstrate the principle:

"All my barbecue items are still in the fridge. I'm only taking out what I need right now."

"Ensure that any foods to be barbequed are only removed from storage immediately prior to cooking. No piling everything on a table to wait."

"It's warm outside—food left on this prep table would reach dangerous temperatures much faster than inside. High protein and perishable foods left at ambient temperatures for even a short time can become hazardous."

"I take what I need, it goes straight on the grill."

Separation and workflow

Demonstrate the technique:

"Watch my workflow on the barbecue. Raw products start on the left side."

"Ensure separate areas of the barbeque are used for raw, cooking and cooked foods. As items cook, I move them right. Finished items come off from the right side."

"Ensure that raw products and their juices/blood does not touch or drip onto cooking or cooked foods. If raw chicken dripped onto a cooked burger, that burger would need to be re-cooked or discarded."

"I have two sets of tongs. This pair is for raw food only—see the red tape? This pair is for cooked food only. Staff should be vigilant and careful not to use utensils such as cooking tongs to pick up raw products then handling cooked foods with the same utensils."

Temperature probing

Demonstrate the verification:

"This burger looks done—nicely charred, no pink visible on the edges. But I need to verify with a probe."

"All poultry products and processed meats must be cooked thoroughly to a temperature above 75°c. This must be checked with a food probe."

"I'm sanitising my probe, inserting into the centre of the burger—the thickest part. Reading: 77°c. This burger is safe to serve."

"Now this sausage—it's a thick one. Probing the centre... 72°c. That's below 75°c. This sausage goes back on the grill. It looked done, but it wasn't."

"Burnt food can give the impression that it has fully cooked. This is not true with barbeques—always probe."

Handling burning food

Demonstrate the adjustment:

"This chicken is burning on the outside. If food starts to burn too quickly, then raise the grill height or turn down the heat."

"I'm raising the grill—putting more distance between the food and the coals. The cooking will be slower but more even."

"For a gas barbecue, I'd turn down the burner. For charcoal, I can raise the grill or spread the coals to reduce intensity."

"What I don't do is accept burnt-outside/raw-inside as normal. That's how food poisoning happens."

RTE food handling

Demonstrate the requirement:

"These salads are for the barbecue service. Salads and any other RTE food being offered as part of the barbeque must remain in cold storage until immediately prior to serving."

"I'm not putting these out when the barbecue starts. They'll stay in the fridge until we're actually serving guests."

"Perishable foods must not be stored in the open air but must be covered and placed in a cooler area until required. If I don't have fridge access, I use cool boxes with ice packs."

"RTE foods are at high risk outdoors—flies, warm temperatures, and no cooking step to fix contamination. Keep them cold and protected."

Hand hygiene outdoors

Demonstrate the challenge:

"Good hygiene practices will be especially important as hand wash basins may not be readily available for hand washing. Here's how we manage this."

"Option 1: Position the barbecue near accessible hand washing facilities. I can get to the kitchen in 30 seconds."

"Option 2: Bring hand washing to the barbecue. This portable hand wash station has soap and paper towels."

"Option 3 for emergencies only: Hand sanitiser. This doesn't replace hand washing for raw meat handling, but it's better than nothing between tasks."

"I'm washing my hands after handling raw chicken, before touching anything else. The standard hasn't changed just because we're outdoors."

Equipment maintenance and cleaning

Demonstrate the requirements:

"Before service, I check the barbecue. Maintain the physical condition of the barbeque—ensure that there is no rust or flaking paint that can cause physical contamination of the products."

"This grill surface has been cleaned and disinfected before service. Ensure that the barbeque is cleaned and disinfected before and after use with appropriate food grade chemicals."

"For gas barbecues, I check hoses and gas valves. Ensure gas barbeques are regularly checked especially hoses and gas valves and kept in a highly maintained state."

"During service, I scrape down the grill between batches. After service, full clean and disinfection."

Managing large events

When cooking for a crowd:

"At a large barbecue event, I can't cook everything at once. Let me show you how to manage continuous cooking safely."

"I'm cooking in batches. This first batch of burgers goes on now. When they're done, they go into hot holding—a chafing dish over a burner, kept above 63°c."

"While batch one holds, batch two is cooking. When batch two is done, I verify batch one is still above 63°c before it goes to service."

"I'm tracking temperatures throughout. Hot held food that drops below 63°c gets either served immediately or discarded. I'm not letting food drift down through the danger zone."

"For a very large event, I might have multiple barbecues running simultaneously. Each follows the same procedures—proper charcoal preparation, left-to-right workflow, temperature probing, and monitoring."

Weather considerations

Adjusting for conditions:

"Outdoor cooking means dealing with weather. Let me explain how conditions affect barbecue safety."

"On a hot day, food sitting on a prep table warms rapidly. What might take 20 minutes to reach dangerous temperatures in a cool kitchen happens in 10 minutes outdoors. I'm even more careful about keeping food in cold storage until the moment of cooking."

"Wind affects charcoal barbecues—it can create hot spots and cool spots. I'm positioning my barbecue to minimise wind effects and adjusting grill height if needed."

"Rain creates challenges—I need to protect food from contamination while still maintaining access for cooking. A canopy helps, but I'm ensuring steam and smoke can escape."

"If conditions become unworkable—heavy rain, extreme wind—I'm prepared to move cooking indoors or postpone. Safe cooking in poor conditions isn't always possible."

Step 5: Common mistakes to avoid

Address the mistakes that lead to barbecue food poisoning.

Mistake 1: Cooking before charcoal is ready. Visible flames mean uneven heat. Wait for glowing red coals with grey edges, no flames. Proper fire preparation takes time.

Mistake 2: Accepting burnt-outside/raw-inside. A charred exterior doesn't mean safe interior. Probe every piece of chicken and processed meat. 75°c minimum.

Mistake 3: Using the same tongs for raw and cooked. This instantly contaminates cooked food. Use separate, clearly marked tongs. Never mix.

Mistake 4: Leaving food at ambient temperature outdoors. Warm outdoor temperatures accelerate bacterial growth. Keep food in cold storage until immediately before cooking.

Mistake 5: Not probing thick items. Sausages, chicken thighs, burgers—all look done when they're not. Probe temperature is the only reliable verification.

Mistake 6: Skipping pre-cooking for difficult items. Thick chicken pieces and dense sausages benefit from pre-cooking in oven or microwave. Finish on the barbecue for flavour.

Mistake 7: Cooking frozen food. Frozen centres don't reach safe temperature. Ensure all items are fully defrosted before barbecuing.

Mistake 8: Leaving RTE foods in the sun. Salads and other RTE foods must stay cold and covered until service. Don't set them out when the barbecue starts.

Mistake 9: Neglecting hand hygiene outdoors. Being outside doesn't change hygiene standards. Plan for hand washing access before you start cooking.

Mistake 10: Not cleaning equipment between batches. Cross-contamination from previous raw items can affect the next batch. Scrape and clean grill surfaces during service.

Step 6: Key takeaways

End your video by reinforcing the core principles of barbecue safety.

Barbecue cooking temperature is difficult to control. Unlike ovens with thermostats, barbecues require skill and attention to achieve even cooking.

Wait for proper charcoal readiness. Glowing red with grey edges, no visible flames. Flames indicate the fire isn't ready for cooking.

Burnt outside doesn't mean cooked inside. This is the most common barbecue mistake. Always verify temperature with a probe.

All poultry and processed meats need 75°c minimum. No exceptions. Probe every piece to verify.

Pre-cook thick items when possible. Oven or microwave to near-done, then finish on barbecue. This ensures safety while achieving barbecue flavour.

Work left to right. Raw on left, cooked on right. Separate tongs for each. Never let raw juices contact cooked food.

Keep food cold until cooking. Remove from storage immediately before cooking. Outdoor ambient temperatures accelerate bacterial growth.

RTE foods stay cold and covered. Salads and other items remain in cold storage until serving. Don't leave them out during the barbecue.

Hand hygiene is harder outdoors—plan for it. Position near facilities, bring portable hand washing, or at minimum use sanitiser between tasks.

Maintain equipment. Check for rust, flaking, and gas safety. Clean before, during, and after service.

Take random temperature checks and record. Your records prove barbecued food reached safe temperatures.

If food hasn't reached 75°c, cook it further. If in doubt about safety, discard. The cost of thrown-away food is nothing compared to a food poisoning incident.

Barbecue cooking combines multiple challenges—uneven heat, outdoor environment, limited hygiene facilities—but with proper training and procedures, it can be done safely. The key is understanding that barbecue food safety requires extra vigilance, not less, compared to kitchen cooking.

Staff assigned to barbecue cooking should be specifically trained on the unique hazards. The burnt-outside/raw-inside problem, the charcoal readiness requirements, and the temperature probing need—these are barbecue-specific skills that regular kitchen training doesn't cover.

Planning matters as much as technique. Before any barbecue service, verify: Is the equipment clean and in good repair? Are hand washing facilities accessible? Is cold storage available for RTE items? Do you have separate tongs for raw and cooked? Is your probe calibrated? Preparation prevents problems.

Temperature records from barbecue events demonstrate compliance. When you probe and record, you create evidence that your barbecued food reached safe temperatures. This documentation protects both customers and the business.

After each barbecue event, review what worked and what didn't. Were there temperature problems? Equipment issues? Cross-contamination close calls? Each event provides learning that improves the next one.

Barbecue cooking done well delivers great food safely. Barbecue cooking done carelessly causes outbreaks. The difference is in the procedures—and in the commitment to following them every time.