Who does not want a great barbecue with family and friends?  The answer is not a surprise and everybody from the young to the old likes it. This process of social gathering with meat being cooked over open flame is an age old tradition. But in this barbecued meat lies some elements that are extremely bad for health and can even cause cancer. But that should not dishearten you as there are ways to overcome it.

Research has found two carcinogens (cancer causing elements) associated with barbecued or smoked meat of every kind, be it red meat, lamb, pork or poultry and also fish. These are heterocyclic amines or HCAs and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons or PAHs. Both of these have been regarded as reasonably carcinogenic to humans and included in the list of carcinogens. HCAs are formed when the meat gets cooked or char-grilled on high temperatures and when introduced to rodents have shown growth of cancerous cells in the prostate, colon and breast. Though research is still underway to determine its applicability to the humans, precaution is always good. PAHs are formed when the fat from the meat drips on the open fir and smoke carries it to the food. Charred food also carries PAH.

To overcome any dangers arising from barbecue take a few measures and they are not very difficult to follow. The first thing that you should pay attention to is the temperature. Never cook on high heat. It is better to precook the meat in an oven or microwave. Thinner slices of meat can be cooked faster. Flipping over the meat continuously prevents any one side from getting overcooked. Lean cuts of meat lets little dripping of fat and so does flipping the meat over. Stabbing the meat with a fork lets more of fat to get released and fall on the coal.

Marinating is also important. It has been seen that marinating the meat with vinegar can actually lessen the chances of formation of carcinogenic compounds. The other materials of marinade that have shown formation of these carcinogenic compounds in lesser level are teriyaki sauce and turmeric-garlic sauce. Finally keep your grill clean and do not let oil and grease settle over it.

USDA recommended Safe Minimum Internal Temperature –
Steaks, roasts & fish – 145°F
Pork & ground beef – 160°F
Chicken breast & whole poultry – 165°F