BBQ Causes Cancer
Now, as you all know I am all for BBQ in any way,
shape or form. But there have been rumors floating
around about BBQ causing cancer. If that's true then
I am putting myself in harms way several times a
week. So I had to get to the bottom of the statement:
BBQ or Grilling Causes Cancer
The Facts:
Grilling meat produces at least two types of potentially
dangerous chemicals: polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons
(PAHs) and heterocyclic amines (HCAs). PAHs are products
of imperfect combustion found in smoke and burned
matter. In large enough quantities they will definitely
cause cancer in humans. In BBQ grills they're commonly
formed when dripping fat flares up, charring the
underside of the meat. In reality, you can get PAH's
when you burn your toast.
HCAs, whose possible role in cancer was more recently
discovered, are the result of reactions between chemicals
in muscle meat produced by high heat or prolonged
cooking. In contrast to PAHs, HCAs are found inside
the meat, not just on the surface, and can't be easily
scraped or trimmed off. Also in contrast to PAHs,
HCAs aren't necessarily more likely to be produced
during grilling, they can be created when cooking
in an ordinary frying pan if it's hot enough.
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So Do I have to Stop BBQ'ing?
Are all types of BBQ equally risky? No. Mainly we're
talking about grilling over open flame at high heat,
backyard barbecuing, in other words. Slow barbecue
methods, which generally involve lower temperatures
and minimal flame exposure, seems to be less problematic.
When grilling, cooking meat till it's well-done supposedly
generates the most HCAs and PAHs, so you are better
off leaving a little pink on the inside.
More Tips To Decreasing Your Risk of Cancer
Use a gas grill, you have better control of the
heat and will have less flare ups. You are also not
subject to the chemicals present in store bought
charcoal.
Don't burn your food
Avoid Flare Ups
Cook at lower temps
Microwave your meat for a few minutes before grilling,
it will cook faster and decrease the time above an
open flame.
Are We Grilling Tonight?
Of course! While the data is convincing, I am still
going to BBQ when the mood hits me. I will however
take a bit of caution, and pay more attention to
how long my meat is on the grill. Honestly, slow
cooking draws out the flavor of many cuts of meat
anyway. So it is all still great BBQ in my opinion!
by
Sarah Jones
