Summer is the season for thick, succulent steaks and juicy burgers on the grill. Whether you like yours rare, medium-well or charbroiled, just make sure it doesn’t come with a side of bacteria. A new study from the Environmental Working Group found that 87 percent of store-bought meat contains harmful antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

The group analyzed data collected by the National Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring System, which samples meat from supermarkets nationwide for bacterial residues and tracks foodborne illnesses. What they found may just make you rethink what’s on the menu at your next barbecue.

Sixty-nine percent of pork samples and 55 percent of beef samples had traces of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Poultry wasn’t protected either. Eighty-one percent of turkey was tainted by superbugs, while only 39 percent of chicken was affected. What’s more is those rates are climbing. For example, salmonella incidents rose from 48 percent in 2002 to 76 percent in 2011.

A bout of food poisoning doesn’t sound too daunting, but superbugs can cause long-lasting damage, including arthritis and autoimmune diseases. The problem centers largely on farmers’ heavy use of antibiotics to beef up their livestock’s, well, stock, and immune systems, ironically. But it’s backfiring on consumers. So what’s a supermarket shopper to do?

First, assume that all meat is tainted. The good news is that cooking kills the bacteria, so use a thermometer to ensure chicken is cooked to at least 170 degrees and red meats to 160 degrees. Preheat coals for 20 to 30 minutes. And buy organic when you can, since it harbors considerably less bacteria than regular-grown meat. Don’t turn your family barbecue into a trip to the E-R.