OK, I’m not convinced of this, but…
I love to grill. I’ve got a charcoal-burning Weber. My wife claims that you’re only supposed to grill out once a week because of the carcinogens resulting from food burning onto the grill rack (I clean the rack with a stiff wire brush and a scraper every time I grill). She can’t provide any sources for where she heard this, or when.
Simply put, this sounds like an old wives’ tale (my wife is NOT old, thank-you-very-much). Any of the Teeming Millions able to provide me with answers one way or the other on this subject?
I think anytime you burn something that has carbon, carcinogens are produced. And if carcinogen means “cancer causing”, you could argue that every meat product is a carcinogen no matter how you cook it. I suggest carcinogens are a natural product, and though they may help kill us off, they also help our gene pool build up tolerance, so eat up!!
I’ve actually heard lately that the gas grills are healthier and more ecologically friendly than charcoal, which surprised me.
Yeah, it’s true…charring meat producing carcinogens…must be why it tastes so damn good.
The reason most often given for gas 'cues being more environmentally friendly is because most people use lighter fluid on charcoal, and that is MOST unfriendly to the enviro. Then again, a gas barbecue is really only an oven outside, isn’t it?
Your wife is probably correct. But, if you don’t smoke, the carcinogens you get from the grill will be roughly equivalent to those you get from having oral sex with her.
So fire up the BBQ. After a healthy meal of red meat, give your wife a hot beef injection and see if she cares about carcinogens then. If she does, keep the grill and get rid of the wife.