In hot weather, make sure you defrost meat IN THE REFRIGERATOR!  Food borne bacteria rapidly multiply in hot weather and can easily cause food to spoil, ruining your barbeque and not doing too much for your stomach either!

The Food Safety Rule of Thumb is: "Keep hot foods hot-above 140°F (60°C) - and cold foods cold below 37°F (5°C).

Cooked food and salads should not be left out in the heat for more than an hour. BETTER YET---fill a deep tray or casserole dish with ice and keep salads-particularly potato or mayonnaise based salads on ice. 

Never use the same cutting board for cooked meat that you used to prepare raw meat, unless you’ve thoroughly washed it in hot, soapy water before using again. The same thing holds true with knives and cooking utensils. 

You can keep foods hot by wrapping them in foil and then placing them in an insulated cooler. Stuff wadded-up newspaper around the foil wrapped food. This will keep your food hot for a good three to four hours.

Smoke food to a safe minimum internal temperature.

• Beef, veal, and lamb steaks, roasts, and chops may be cooked to 145°F. (65°C)
• All cuts of pork to 160°F. (72°C)
• Ground beef, veal and lamb to 160°F. (72°C)
• All poultry should reach a safe minimum internal temperature of 165°F. (75°C)

Chill Promptly - Refrigerate meat and poultry within 2 hours of removing it from a smoker. Cut the meat or poultry into smaller portions or slices, place it in shallow containers, cover, and refrigerate. Use it within 3 days or freeze for later use.