Barbecue is not just an excuse to binge on meat, it’s a lifestyle. Many a lawn is accented by the grill. Some barbecue fanatics even make it the centerpiece of their lawn. However, regardless of what grill you have (if you just have a simple grill or those Rolls Royces of garden grills), you still have to follow safety pointers. Avoid singed eyebrows and trips to the throne or worse, the ER. Here are some barbecuing safety tips.

Pre-grilling

• Wash all utensils, cutting board, and your hands if they come in contact with raw meat.
• Marinate meats in the refrigerator. Letting those slabs sit in room temperature makes them breeding ground for bacteria.
• Some recipes call for parboiled meats. Make sure to move them quickly to the grill as soon as they finish from the stove top, oven, or microwave.
• If you are preparing other stuff to grill like veggies and fruits, make sure to keep them away from raw meat.
• While meat with marbled fat is definitely delicious, you may want to opt for leaner cuts of meat.
• If you want to use marinade as basting sauce, reserve some before the raw meat touches it.

Grilling

Keep fat from dripping on the coals. Drippings may cause unnecessary flare ups. Use a drip pan or wrap meat in foil. Some grills lets you move the coals to the side or the meat to the side.

Always keep a fire extinguisher handy.

Never use wood chips from processed wood. These have been chemically treated and may cause toxic fumes.

Avoid using fancy chemicals for barbecuing. Avoid lighter fluids, gasoline, self-igniting briquettes for a smog-free grilling.

If you want you meat burnt to a crisp, try avoid eating the charred parts. These are known to contain carcinogens - cancer causing substances.