Image by pascal claivaz from Pixabay
Roasting holiday meat is a huge part of many social gatherings this time of year. While the turkey, a staple in many household Thanksgiving traditions, often reigns supreme. Other holiday meats are stars of the show on many festive tables across the country.
So let’s talk about roasting holiday meat safely!
Your power protein can be a masterpiece. But only if you keep safety in mind and tablemates walk away full and happy.
Beyond the bird, other main meats rank high for holiday fare.
Consider rib roast, ham, lamb, duck, goose, or even wild game like venison or pheasant.
Whatever you choose to roast, safety starts well before the meal.
Food safety begins, at the beginning. When you acquire meat.
Select meat that has been inspected by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) or other State inspection systems. This seal means that certain safety standards were observed and that a USDA representative oversaw the processing operation.
Like all meats, you will need to get this product home and in the refrigerator as soon as possible. If you have cooler bags or chests for transport, even better!
Don’t let that meat sit around in your fridge either. Cook or freeze fresh poultry within one or two days. Fresh meats have a little more time. These should be cooked or frozen within three to five days.
Whether you are roasting beef or veal, lamb, pork, or wild game, attention to detail can make the difference between a tasty holiday meal and a family fight over the bathroom facilities.
Leaner cuts of beef and veal can become overcooked. For this reason, people tend to undercook this meat. But this leaves you open to food poisoning.
Be sure that all raw beef or veal steaks, roasts, and chops are cooked to a minimum internal temperature of 145° F before it is removed from the heat source. Then let it rest.
Allow meat to rest for an additional three minutes before carving.
This 145° F internal temperature is a minimum. Some consumers may choose to cook meat to higher temperatures. And that is okay too!
While lamb is often considered a more “fatty meat,” leg and loin lamb meat is usually no different that the content found on lean beef or pork loin. After visible fat is trimmed, that is.
You may notice a “paper-like” covering on certain lamb products. This is usually removed at the retail market from steaks and chops. This is called the “fell.” To help retain shape while roasting, leave the fell on leg roasts.
Lamb steaks, chops, and roasts should be cooked to a minimum internal temperature of 145° F before removing it from the heat source. Lamb also benefits from a brief rest. Allow three additional minutes before carving or consuming roasted lamb.
Lamb, like beef or veal, may also be cooked to a higher temperature than the minimum 145° F.
Modern pork is a good bit leaner than it was just 25 years ago. Consequently, today’s pork cooks faster than it was in your parent’s generation.
Regardless, a minimum internal temperature of, you guessed it, 145° F should be met before removing it from the heat source. It too must also rest for another three minutes.
Duck and Goose tend to have a significant amount of fat. This fat helps to keep them afloat while swimming, but can cause a mess or even fire hazard when cooking.
Experts recommend pricking or scoring the skin of a whole duck prior to cooking to help render out the fat as it cooks. Many people use oven cooking bags while roasting this holiday meat for easy disposal and reduce spatter in the oven.
Like other poultry, duck and goose should be roasted to an internal temperature of 165° F.
If roasting holiday meat includes wild game, a simple prep step can help remove the “gamey” flavor commonly associated with venison, elk, and other options.
Soak wild meat or poultry in a solution of either 1 tablespoon salt or 1 cup of vinegar per quart of cold water. Completely submerge the meat and soak overnight in the refrigerator
If ham is on the menu, you have options.
Ham can come either fully cooked or “cook-before-eating.”
Fully cooked ham, as the name suggests, does not require heating.
You can eat fully cooked ham cold or reheated to 140° F.
Why so specific?
When ham is cold, it should be below the low end of the “danger zone” – the perfect temperature where bacteria can rapidly grow to infectious numbers. Food should not linger in this danger zone (40° F to 140° F) for more than 2 hours (1 hour if ambient temperature is above 90° F).
This is why, if you choose to heat your fully cooked ham, you should make sure it is heated to at least a 140° F internal temperature.
Use a food thermometer.
Use store-wrapped cooked ham portions within three to five days or the printed “use-by” date on the package. Whichever comes first.
Hams labeled as “cook-before-eating” should be cooked to an internal temperature of at least 145° F and allowed to rest for at least three minutes.
This temperature ensures that bacteria potentially present in the ham have been sufficiently destroyed.
Consume “cook-before-eating” ham within seven days.
If you are roasting holiday meat this year, keep these tips in mind for a safe, enjoyable meal.
If you’d like to know more about food safety topics in the news, like “Beyond the Bird: Roasting Holiday Meat Safely,” check out the Make Food Safe Blog. We regularly update trending topics, foodborne infections in the news, recalls, and more! Stay tuned for quality information to help keep your family safe, while The Lange Law Firm, PLLC strives to Make Food Safe!
By: Heather Van Tassell (contributing writer, non-lawyer)
Both norovirus and hepatitis A virus contamination in berries has been a big problem in…
Foodborne risk for bird flu may be less of a risk than previously thought. But…
Two outbreaks of Legionnaires’ disease in Orange County California have recently surfaced. One in the…
Concerns over Legionnaires’ disease in Baltimore grow as an inmate is diagnosed with the illness.…
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is proposing a new change to nutritional facts…
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently issued a request for information from two…