Grilling tips for a delicious Labor Day meal

BROWN DEER -- Before rolling out the food for Labor Day festivities, there are a few things to keep in mind in order to ensure a delicious and safe Labor Day meal.

First, sanitation is key. One plate should be designated as a raw meat plate.

"If you can`t figure out which one is raw, then put tin foil over it. Then, when you`re outside you know which one is the raw plate. That way you don`t put cooked food back on that raw plate," Metro Market Executive Chef Cary Dietsch said.

When cooking steak or burgers, it's important to make sure the meat is room temperature before cooking it, that way it retains more of its moisture. Only flip the meat once. If it still sticks to the grill when flipped, that means that side is not done yet.

"You just set it on the grill wait about three minutes, do a quarter turn, wait about two minutes, then flip it over -- same thing quarter turn, quarter turn. You`re only flipping it one time," Dietsch said.

Brats can be a little trickier to determine whether they're done. One way to prevent eating an undercooked brat is to boil it before heading out to the grill.

"You take it to the picnic already cooked now you`re just putting grill marks on it and you`re not going to spend so much time grilling it. It`s going to taste just as good as if you cooked the whole thing on the grill," Dietsch said.

Fruit and vegetables can serve as delicious, simple and healthy side dishes for a Labor Day fest.