A Flaming Barbecue Can Fizzle Your Health

There are a few great summer aromas that make me wish summer would never end.  The soothing, sweet aroma of freshly cut grass and the electric scents after a lightening storm.  But the very best smell that only summertime can provide is the mouthwatering, smokey flavor of a barbecue.
While walking home through my neighborhood, I often see a neighbor's hibachi bellowing with smoke.  On this one particular day, I noticed his unmanned grill practically on fire engulfing his chicken, which actually looked like briquettes themselves.

This brought to mind a family of compounds that are created when flames char any type of meat, called heterocyclic amines (HCAs).  It simply occurs when amino acids (the building blocks of all types of proteins) are burned at high temperatures for a prolonged time.  It is also found in cigarette smoke, so that should give you an idea of its potential for causing disease.

Photo courtesy of Frettie

Numerous research studies have determined that consuming charred meat increases cancer risks (like stomach, pancreatic, and colorectal cancers).

The American Cancer Society addresses this in their "A Backyard Chef's Guide to Healthy Grilling" website and warns against over cooking meat.

Even the National Cancer Institute has a "Fact Sheet" on cooking meat at high temperatures.


There are several things you can do that may decrease the risk of forming HCAs without altering that barbecue flavor we all want.  Enjoy a healthier summer barbecue with these tips:

1. Don't eat red meat. OK, I had to throw that in. It is known that decreased red meat consumption, regardless of cooking method, has been shown to decrease cancer risks.

2  Grill veggies or fruit with meat. If you are going to grill red meat or any other types of meat, try lightly charring onions, mushrooms, peppers, pineapples, eggplant, summer squash, or tomatoes on the side.  The charred veggies and fruit flavor will definitely complement any meat and they do not form HCAs when grilled.

3. Marinade. Marinades have been shown to decrease HCAs by up to 90% depending on the type of meat as well as the type of marinade. Try olive oil, raspberry vinegar, beer, and/or wine.  Darker beers are best.  The meat should marinate in a refrigerator for at least 6 hours.  Avoid using marinades with a lot of fructose sweeteners because they can form HCAs.

4.  Spice up your marinade.  Spices that offer the best protection against HCAs are ginger, rosemary, and turmeric.  There are also numerous health benefits associated with spices.  Cloves, oregano, rosemary, thyme, cinnamon, and turmeric are known for having the highest antioxidant levels for spices.  A study from the Journal BioScience determined spices preserve food from microbial growth, especially garlic, allspice, and oregano, which inhibit 100% of bacterial growth.

5. Choose very lean meats. Less fat equals less fat drippings igniting the flames to reach the meat.  Don't forget that this also means that you must remove the skin from chicken.  A Harvard study found that men who previously had prostate cancer that ate chicken with the skin on were twice as likely to get a relapse or their condition worsened because of HCAs.

6. Foil wrap. Before lighting up your grill, cover the grating with aluminum foil and punch small holes through it so that the fat can drip away. This not only prevents flames from touching the meat, but also prevents the flares caused by dripping fat.

7. Precook in a microwave. The American Institute for Cancer Research recommends precooking the meat in a microwave for a couple minutes to reduce HCAs. Remember to immediately place the microwaved meat on the grill.

8.  Use a thermometer.  Cook meat above 145 degrees but less than 300 degrees.  Use the chart from Food Safety as a guide for recommended meat cooking temperatures.  Remember that lower heat means that the cooking time will increase.

9.  Trim the char.  If you become distracted while grilling and burn the meat, trim any portion of the meat that is blackened before eating.

By the way, don't make all these recommendations if you are an invited guest to a barbecue.  More than likely, a man will be at the helm, wearing his BBQ apron as his badge of courage, and he may be completely offended by any one of these recommendations.

Remember, "Never try to teach a pig to sing.  It wastes your time and annoys the pig" (Anonymous).

Lead by example by showing off your skills at the next barbecue that you host.  Have a happy and healthy summer barbecue!