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Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center Cancer Information Service Health Topics A-Z Health Topics by Category
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The Colorful Plate
Enjoy the Fun of Grilling Without Fear
Peer Review Status: Internally Reviewed by Cancer Center Staff
First Published: 2000
Enjoy the Fun of Grilling Without Fear
Grilling or barbecuing meat causes fat to drip onto the flame, coals or heating element. The resulting smoke contains polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (POAs), substances that increase the frequency and extent of mutations in the cells. With careful grilling habits and a little bit of planning, however, exposure to POAs can be avoided, making the barbecue a safe and joyful experience once again. Here is what you can do:
- Raise the grill rack to its highest position away from the heat source. Keep food to one side of the grill and coals at the other side.
- Choose lean meats and trim any visible fat to limit the amount of fat that drips onto the heat source.
- Cover the grill rack with aluminum foil (punch holes to let the fat drip out).
- Cook vegetables and fish in foil packets to preserve natural flavor and protect them from smoke and fire.
- Avoid flare-ups. Use a squirt bottle of water on flames.
- Allow excess lighter fluid to burn off before you put food on the grill. Never squirt lighter fluid on smoldering charcoal. Better yet, use a chimney to start the charcoal. Coals should be grayish-white in color.
- Don’t grill frozen meats. The outside chars while the interior remains cold. Remove blackened material from the food’s surface.
- Pre-cook foods, such as poultry and ribs, by microwaving or boiling. Use the grill briefly for an outdoor flavor.
Mayo Clinic Nutrition Letter, June 1990
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