Eschborn – As soon as the first warm rays of sun shine from the sky, the much-loved barbecue season starts in German gardens, on the terraces and balconies. Just as loud as the inner cry of culinary anticipation are the admonishing voices of many health advocates who warn of all kinds of “dangers on the grill”. So it’s no wonder that there are numerous wondrous recommendations and rules for everything to do with barbecuing. You can now find out which of these belong to the realm of myths and fairy tales – in good time before you grill them for the first time.
Grilled food that is very dark and crispy is considered carcinogenic – what’s the truth?
To date, there is not a single scientific proof that the consumption of dark and crispy grilled meat has ever caused or promoted cancer. Cancer is an “individual, multifactorial” disease without a clearly definable trigger – which means that the tumors always arise from the interaction of a large number of individual lifestyle factors and doctors never know exactly where it came from and what ultimately triggered it. Ergo, the following applies: Even if substances that are fundamentally harmful to health can arise when barbecuing, this does not mean that these substances are actually harmful to health – the dose makes the poison, and barbecuing in summer is certainly not “poisonous”. In addition, our taste is a good “health indicator”: If meat is charred or charred too black, then it simply no longer tastes good, the body rejects it. Otherwise, the degree of browning and crispiness is of course a matter of individual taste. Anyone who enjoys barbecuing during the warmer months of the year shouldn’t worry about the “health hazard of the grill”, but rather enjoy their grilled meat with real hunger and all their senses – because that provides healthy feelings of satisfaction.
What else can you do to make crispy grilling “healthier”?
Many people intuitively eat a lot of hot mustard, onions, garlic or intense pepper and chili seasoning with their grilled meat. Why? Because it is good for the body and helps with healthy digestion. Of course, there is no scientific evidence that these spicy ingredients completely “neutralize” the potentially harmful grilling ingredients (because there is no evidence for anything in nutritional research) – but here the appeal to common sense is enough: Our body will already know why he “wants” to have all the often pharmacological, i.e. metabolically active, pungent substances with the meat.
Grilling Kassler and other cured meats is strongly discouraged – so it’s better to just continue to cook it in sauerkraut?
The warning calls go out every year because nitrosamines can be produced when grilling salt meat – and these are regarded as potentially carcinogenic. But the same applies here as always and generally with “nutrition warnings”: Nothing is eaten as hot as it is cooked. This means that if you occasionally want to grill a Kassler because it tastes so delicious, you certainly don’t have to think of “grilled crab” right away. To my knowledge, not a single case has been reported in which cancer was even remotely related to the consumption of grilled salt meat.
Grilled food from the gas grill should be much less aromatic than charcoal grilled food – is that so?
Yes, that is the classic Gretchen question of barbecue philosophers. Of course it’s true – not. Because how aromatic something tastes is a matter of individual taste – and as is well known, there is no arguing about taste. Some prefer the intense smoky flavor of the fiery charcoal embers, others prefer the meat from the gas grill because the heat can be controlled more precisely. And if you want to combine both, there is also the perfect solution for you: modern gas grills have smoke chambers in which smoking chips provide the desired smoky aroma of the food to be grilled.
What about firing up via the charcoal lighter, use it or leave it out?
If you ask the “puristic hardcore grillers” this question, the answer is: Never with a charcoal lighter! Of course, everyone else can also use grill lighters to light up the embers faster. If you like it natural and ecological, you should not use chemical lighters, but ones based on vegetable oil and wood. A good alternative for getting to the embers faster are barbecue chimneys – these small metal buckets with airflow holes do not need a barbecue lighter, but simply use the chimney draft effect to ensure that the charcoal is glowing through and ready to use after about 20 minutes. So here too: there is a suitable individual solution for everyone.
Should you still “douse” the meat on the grill with beer, wine or other drinks?
Clear no – you should better leave it alone! Whatever drink you pour over the food, it always leads to the same negative double effect: both the embers and the poured meat cool down. In addition, the liquid evaporates immediately in the embers of the grill – this in turn stirs up ash that sticks to the wet meat or flies in the faces of the grill master and the guests. And nobody wants that. Ergo: Drinking beer is better than pouring it into the grill.
Some “barbecue connoisseurs” claim that it is better not to put meat directly on the grill?
That too is a question of taste. With open grills, meat gets a more intense grilled taste when steaks & co. grill directly over the embers instead of lying next to the charcoal and cooking. With indirect grilling in grill balls, on the other hand, it doesn’t matter: Here the charcoal is in baskets on the edge of the grill, the meat in between on the grate. With the closed grill ball, steak & co. also get the desired grill and smoke aroma.
Are there any foods that should never be grilled?
Basically, there is no grill warning for any food. You can grill anything you like. This is especially true for vegetarians and vegans: just try what grilled meat-free best “performs epicurean”. There are no culinary limits to the variety of creative combinations!
I don’t have time – can I put frozen meat, fish or vegetables straight from the freezer on the grill?
It’s possible, but it’s better not to. Because sausages or steaks can be grilled crisp on the outside due to the high heat, but they are still ice cold on the inside. Therefore: It is better to defrost the food you want to grill beforehand, that’s how much time you need.
Grilled, roasted or stewed meat – what is best for your health?
That in turn is the crucial question of all nutrition apostles – here the health-oriented spirits argue depending on the nutrition ideology. The fact is: There is no scientific evidence that one preparation method is healthier than the other. Because there are not even healthy foods: -> “The division into healthy and unhealthy foods makes no sense”, so the conclusion of the seven major institutions of nutritional science in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Whether grilling, roasting or stewing – that depends on the meat and the taste preferences. In any case, healthier is what tastes better – because only what you like to eat can also be healthy.