7 Grilling Tips for Family-Friendly BBQs

Posted By: Tay Roberts|Posted On: 6/16/2025

Enjoy a stress-free summer BBQ with these 7 grilling tips for families.

Summer BBQs should be about fun—not worrying about hidden toxins in your food or on your grill.

These seven grilling tips help protect your family from exposure to questionable chemicals and reduce their risk of foodborne illness, so you can focus on enjoying your outdoor grilling time together.

Head Off Food Poisoning With Better Cleaning

First and foremost, following these summer grilling safety tips will help ensure no one gets sick at your backyard BBQ.

Wash your hands with soap and water before and after handling raw meat, poultry, or fish.
Prevent cross-contamination by keeping raw and cooked meats separate and designating utensils and plates for each.
Thoroughly clean the cutting board before using it again.
Refrigerate cooked food within one hour if the temperature is over 90°F and within 2 hours if it’s below 90°F.
Scrub your grill with a stiff non-metal grill brush to remove any remaining food debris and potential bacteria before and after using it.

Go for Natural Marinades

Store-bought marinades are a real time-saver but can be full of bad-for-you ingredients. Try to avoid any with excessive sodium, added sugars, and unnecessary preservatives. Instead, consider whipping up your own healthier version using olive oil, lemon juice, and fresh herbs.

Don’t Char the Meat on the Grill Until It’s Black

Unfortunately, grilling meat increases cancer risk. But there are a few things you can do to lessen your risk. For starters, grill over a lower heat. And be sure to marinate meat (see the tip above) for at least half an hour before putting it on the grill. These two steps will help reduce the formation of heterocyclic amines (HCAs)—carcinogenic chemicals that form in meat, poultry, and fish when cooked at high temperatures.

Use Better Grilling Tools

For your grill tongs and utensils, opt for stainless steel instead of plastic, which can easily melt and release harmful substances when exposed to heat. The same goes for those marinade containers you might leave on or next to the grill.

Choose Organic, Local Ingredients

It’s not always possible, but when you buy from the local farmer’s market or even choose organic meats and produce at your grocery store, you’re supporting sustainable farming practices and reducing your exposure to the harmful chemicals in our food supply. (Learn why you should always wash your fruits and vegetables—even organic ones—here.)

Follow These Safety Rules

Whether it’s gas or charcoal, your BBQ grill can be dangerous, especially if little kids are around. Three rules to live by: Assign someone to supervise the grill when in use, only grill in open, well-ventilated areas, and turn it off when you’re finished grilling.

Clean the Grill Without Harsh Chemicals

Finally, clean your BBQ grill with a plant-based grill cleaner and degreaser like Truly Free Home Heavy Duty Degreaser. The plant-based formula dissolves BBQ grease without toxic chemicals that may leave residue on your family’s food and skin. Cleaning your outdoor grill with our Heavy Duty Degreaser is easy, simply spray, let it do its thing, and wipe clean.

One last Grill Master’s Secret: If a rogue drop of brisket juice or burger grease lands on your favorite shirt, don't sweat it. Keep the party going and check out our plant-based grease stain removal guide to save your threads.

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