Tips for Healthy Grilling
by Nadine Sigle, Family and Consumer Sciences Agent
I like to grill year around and as the weather warms it becomes one of my favorite methods of cooking. It doesn’t make any difference if I’m cooking over a fire, using a Dutch oven, or a more conventional grill.
Whatever method I choose, safety comes first, whether it‘s personal safety or food safety. As a child, I loved to burn my marshmallows and hot dogs to a crisp. I’ve learned that burning my foods and cooking on charred surfaces can result in exposure to carcinogens.
The following tips can minimize the risk and grilled foods can still be flavorful, fun and safe.
- Marinate Your Meat – Marinating meat helps to reduce carcinogens. Kansas State University researchers marinated steaks in three different mixtures of oil, vinegar, and herbs and spices. After grilling, carcinogens in the marinated steaks were cut by 57 to 88 percent. The reason it works is not clear. The marinade may create a protective barrier between the meat’s proteins and the heat of the grill. Or the antioxidants in the marinade may combat the carcinogens head-on. Whatever the reason, marinades reduce the carcinogens and add great flavor to the meat.
- Clean Your Grill – Keep your grill clean by scrubbing with a brush before and after grilling food. Scrubbing keeps the buildup of carcinogens left on the grill grates to a minimum and makes your food taste so much better.
- Flip at the Right Time – You want to avoid burning but not rip the meat apart. Give it a gentle tug; it’s ready to flip when it comes loose without pulling.
- Ban Flare Ups – When you cook a fatty piece of meat, the fat that drips onto the flames creates smoke which may contain the much talked about carcinogens.
- Beware of Burnt – A bit of char is unavoidable (and it tastes good), but incinerated meat will contain more cancer-causing compounds. Don’t get the coals superhot and then plop fatty meat directly on the grill. The blackened part of meat may also contain carcinogens, so remove all charred or burned portions of food before eating.
- Reduce Bacteria in Burgers – To kill the common E.coli bacteria, USDA recommends cooking ground beef to 160°F. If you want to go for medium-rare, grind your own beef, then cook immediately. If you use store-bought meat, flip burgers frequently. A study in the Journal of Food Protection advised flipping every 30 seconds for optimal E.coli reduction. Another study found that even when two patties both reach 160°F, the one flipped more often had one-fifth the E.coli.
- Work the Grill – Depending on your grill, it may not be the same temperature throughout. Some have hot spots while others have cooler areas. Work the whole surface of the grill to keep certain areas from flaming more than others. If you do have flare ups, just move the food to a cooler part of the grill until the fire dies down.
- Size Matters – Size matters when it comes to meat grilling. Cube or slice meat into smaller portions to speed up the cook time or choose a quick-cooking option like shrimp or fish.
- The Shorter the Cook Time, The Better – The faster foods are cooked, the less likely they’ll develop dangerous charring. Don’t cook meat past its goal temperature: 165°F for all poultry; 160°F for ground red meats or mixtures and fresh pork; or 145°F for red meat steaks or chops.
- Beyond Meat – Go beyond meat and try grilling some unexpected foods like peaches, asparagus, or even bread. Throw fruits and veggies on the grill for a tasty, nutrient-rich side or dessert or give pizza a try for a quick dinner.
