Properly Preparing and Storing Corned Beef

CLEVELAND – Saint Patrick’s Day is just around the corner, and if you’re planning to make some corned beef, it’s important to be careful.

Every year, there are reports of people getting sick from food poisoning.

“Any time we are dealing with raw meat, we always have to be careful and always abide by the food safety guidelines,” said Beth Czerwony, RD, registered dietitian for Cleveland Clinic. “The most important thing is knowing how to store it properly. There is a food temperature danger zone.”

Czerwony said the food temperature danger zone is 40 degrees to 140 degrees.

If you are going to be storing the corned beef, it has to be colder than 40 degrees and if you are serving it, it has to be warmer than 140 degrees.

Anything in between could put you at risk for food poisoning.

Czerwony also recommends putting raw corned beef on the bottom shelf of the fridge so juices don’t accidentally spill on other items.

That’s another way for bacteria to spread.

“The other thing too, is if you are going to have leftovers the next day, make sure it’s stored properly under 40 degrees, and then reheated to 165 degrees, that’s the safety point that if there were any nasty bacteria that had grown, it’s going to kill it,” explained Czerwony.

Some of the most common symptoms of food poisoning include upset stomach, vomiting and diarrhea.

They typically occur within a few hours of eating.

If your symptoms become severe, be sure to seek medical attention.