A few weeks ago I pulled out my old grill, filled it with charcoal, and stirred up the pyromaniac within by lighting the coals and preparing the grill for some serious cooking.  I don’t know why I asked myself a stupid question but I did and that stupid question was “what’s with the charcoal?”  I’ve used this quick lighting charcoal for years but never really paid attention to the bag until then when I read the coals did not need lighter fluid and should be hot within 10 minutes.  That’s kind of when I kind of started thinking that this kind of might not be good for me — kind of.

As I watched the juices from the meat drip onto the coals I wondered if the smoke coming off the coals would somehow get into the meat and, well, is it harmful?  By the time I finished cooking I felt a bit unsure about my meal.  Could grilling with charcoal do more harm than good to my system?

I’ll be honest, I have not used my grill since that day and I’m now investigating the purchase of a gas grill.  The next time I go out to burn some meat, I’m going to do it without using charcoal.

Quite frankly, there’s no real evidence that says grilling with charcoal will cause you any significant health issues but I did find one article particularly interesting.  Calorie Count has an interesting article entitled “Grilling Comes Under Fire” and I’ll cite the first two paragraphs here:

There’s no evidence that grilling causes cancer. But cooking meat at the high temperatures you use to grill—as well as broil and fry—creates heterocyclic amines (HCAs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), compounds linked with some cancers.

Animal and laboratory studies suggest that HCAs may damage DNA and spur the development of tumors in cells of the colon, breast, prostate and lymph system. At temperatures of 350°F and hotter, amino acids and creatine (a natural compound that helps supply energy to muscles and nerves) react to form HCAs. PAHs form when fat drips onto hot coals, creating smoke that settles on food; these compounds have been associated with increased risk of breast cancer.

Okay, did they say “damage DNA?”  Whoa, increased risk of breast cancer?  Oh No!!!  Well, at least the article goes on to offer suggestions on how to cook food using marinades, etc. and to combine veggies with meats, particularly cruciferous vegetables — broccoli and cabbage, etc. — which contain sulforaphane that may help the body clear DNA-damaging compounds more quickly.

With that in mind, I think I’ll be out this weekend taking the gas grill deal more seriously because I will be in a better position to control the temperature.  Since I will have more grill space to work with, I’ll have plenty of room for veggies, like broccoli, as well.  Oh joy, oh rapture.

And with that, let’s just say this is a little something to think about when you go out over the 4th of July weekend with the grill and the coals.  Carry some broccoli with you and marinade your meat.  It’s tough out there for a meat burning pyro.