Do not undercook'foods…
Thorough cooking will kill most germs. To make sure foods get hot enough, check the internal temperature by
inserting a food thermometer in the thickest part.
Meats: Cook beef and pork to at least 160° F, lamb to 145° F, and poultry to 180° F for thigh meat and
170° F for breasts. Ground beef, pork, veal, and lamb should be cooked to at least 160° F, and ground
poultry to 165° F.
Seafood: Cook fish until it flakes with a fork. Simmer shrimp for three to five minutes or until the flesh
turns pinkish and opaque. Steam clams and mussels for 5 to 10 minutes or until the shells open (if they
don't, toss them out). Cook oysters until they plump, for about 5 minutes. Do not eat raw oysters.
Eggs: Do not use homemade foods containing raw eggs, such as mayonnaise and Caesar-salad dressing.
Commercial versions are okay, since manufacturers use heat-treated eggs. Use hard-boiled eggs within
two to three days of cooking.
G rilling precautions…
Marinate meats in the refrigerator. If some of the marinade will be used for a dip or basting sauce, make
sure it has been boiled for at least 1 minute.
Keep vegetables or fruits intended for grilling separate from raw meats so no one will unwittingly eat an
uncooked, possibly contaminated piece of produce.
If you partially cook meat in advance to reduce grilling time, put it on the grill immediately afterward.
To transport hamburger patties, fresh meat, or poultry to a picnic site, place the food in a well-insulated
cooler that keeps food at 40° F or lower; store food in the cooler until it's time to start grilling.
Do not return cooked meats to the plates that held them when they were raw.
Use a food thermometer to check temperatures of grilled meats.
Storefoodsassoon aspossible…
Serve picnic foods in a shaded area, keeping cold dishes on ice, hot foods on heating trays. Foods will
stay cold longer if you divide them into small portions (for example, prepare several 9”$x$12”trays,
rather than one large tray). Cold items should be kept below 40° F; hot foods should be 140° F or higher.
Do not leave food sitting out for hours; instead, serve a few trays of food as guests arrive, so items will
be quickly eaten. Replace empty trays with ones fresh from the refrigerator, oven, or grill.
Leftovers must cool rapidly when moved to the refrigerator or freezer, so microorganisms don't have
time to multiply. To speed up cooling, divide large portions into smaller ones and store in shallow
containers. Cut meat into portions less than three inches thick.
Shelvesand trays…
The Onyx’s shelves are the exact size of a steam table tray, 13”X$22”,$so$that$either$of them will fit on any of
the levels of the cooker. The shelves will accommodate a full set of ribs or a large brisket with no trimming
necessary. Disposable aluminum half and full trays offer unlimited possibilities for both cooking and holding
any food item.
SH U T T I N G D O W N:
Remove all food products from the Onyx. Set the damper on the draft fan to fully closed or remove the draft fan
and replace it with a kill plug or draft regulator plug. Close all of the dampers. The fire should die within 30 to
45 minutes. To accelerate this process, spray the charcoal with water. Do this a little at a time using a spray
