Is Your Grilling Killing?
Summertime is officially here! If my calendar didn't tell me, I'd know by the plethora of fresh, succulent fruits and vegetables at almost every corner – thanks to the local roadside stands that pop up every year around this time. And what goes better with all those healthy vegetables than a nice, juicy, grilled steak. Right? Maybe not.
Before you get out those barbecue tongs, kiss-the-cook aprons, and fancy chef's hats, you might want to rethink your method of cooking. Or maybe not. Long before there were Jenn-Air ovens, our earliest ancestors cooked food over an open flame. Today, the majority of Americans own a barbecue grill. More than half grill year-round, and many barbecue at least twice weekly in the summer.
It is interesting to note that the terms "barbecue" and "grilling" are frequently used interchangeably. But these are two different methods of cooking. Grilling involves cooking food directly over a heat source using a "grill" to keep the food away from the coals or wood. To barbecue means to cook food at low temperatures (about 350 degrees) for a longer period of time over indirect heat that produces lots of smoke. This method is best for larger pieces of meat, such as thick steaks, whole roasts, and ribs.
So what could possibly be dangerous about this time-tested method? The answer is HCAs and PAHs.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services lists heterocyclic amines (HCAs) among the known carcinogens. HCAs are produced when a specific amino acid found in muscles, called creatine, combines with the sugar that occurs naturally in meat and are heated during cooking. The high heat and long cooking times cause grilled meats yield high concentrations of HCAs. And, the five foods yielding the highest levels of HCAs (when prepared well-done) are chicken breast, steak, pork, salmon, and hamburger.
Since HCA concentration increases with heat and time, it stands to reason that the production of HCAs in meat increases the longer and hotter the meat is cooked.
And if the HCAs don't get 'cha, the PAHs surely will.
Close your eyes and think about that luscious cloud of smoke that rises when you open the top of your grill or when a piece of fat from your steak falls into the fire. Aaaahhhhhh. Makes your mouth water, doesn't it?
Well, that cloud you just inhaled is packed full of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs).
PAHs are simply the incomplete combustion products of fuel, such as wood or gas, which can stick to the surface of food.
Whereas, HCAs are formed by any high-heat cooking method, PAHs are more closely related to the smoke in barbecueing. Almost makes you want to throw away your tongs, kiss-the-cook apron, and fancy chef's hat, doesn't it?
Well, don't do that just yet. All is not lost. While some studies find that consuming well-done or very well-done meat is a risk factor in certain cancers, other studies find no relationship between cooking methods and cancer risks. So what's a tong-carrying, apron-swathed, chef-hatted, red-blooded male to do?
Here's what I do when grilling… or barbecuing…
| • | I don't overcook. Rare or medium-rare meats taste better and have fewer of those nasty HCAs and PAHs. |
| • | I try and trim the fat if it's burning. This cuts down on the PAH-filled smoke. |
| • | I use a gas grill whenever possible. Gas grills cook at a lower temperature than charcoal and produce less smoke. |
| • | I use thinner cuts of meat. This cuts down on the total cooking time needed, but can still give you that "grilled" flavor. |
| • | When I absolutely have to have a thick steak, I pre-cook it in the oven and then finish cooking it on the grill. This also cuts down on the actual grilling time necessary, but adds that "grilled" flavor. |
| • | I don't eat the blackened or burnt parts. OK, I do cheat once in a while on this because I am a mere human and only have so much will power. But I do this very rarely…. maybe once or twice a year. OK, three times. |
| • | I have an enormous salad usually after I eat the meat. I occasionally add fresh vegetables or fruits to the rack when I am grilling. Vegetables and fruits are low in fat and high in fiber. They also contain many cancer-fighting substances. Try mushrooms, onions, carrots, zucchini, broccoli, corn, potatoes, green and red peppers, papaya, pineapple, or mango. |
| • | Finally, I love to use marinades. Marinade. Marinade. Marinade. |
| Marinades can help reduce the formation of carcinogens on your grilled foods. |
And don't forget a nice glass of wine to go with your feast. You already know the health benefits of that!
Until next time, be healthy.
David Eifrig, Jr., M.D.