BBQ season is always an exciting and very entertaining time of the year. Almost everyone loves to gatherer around with friends and family to simply have a good time relaxing, eating out and fully immersing oneself in sunny and bright summer days!
Difference in Taste
There has been a lot of debate over the years, especially the barbecue community, as to whether gas or charcoal grill are the best. And of course the answer will never be clear cut. While gas is always about hot fire and sizzling hot grilled steaks, charcoal on the other hand offers nice low and slow cooking, that really takes time to crunch it out.
No one will disagree that smocking food with charcoal briquettes or wood pellet is the best ways to achieve those succinctly cooked beef steaks or yummy pork baby ribs! On the other hand, grilling gas burners is simply easier to cook, less time consuming and is generally well perceived among entry level grillers. If you are a beginner and unsure of what to choose, there is always an alternative –you can choose a cheap all-in-one charcoal gas grill, like one of those Brinkmann smokers.
Difference in Health Impacts
Ok, we have quickly looked in the difference between gas and charcoal grilling in terms of satisfaction and taste outcome, but how about the less talked health concerns?
It is very well known that if the source of gas flame is impure, it can leave very toxic substances in the meat when combined with animal fatty acids. It’s negative effect is increased blood pressure. This is especially dangerous for people with diagnosed heart attack problems. Natural gas is usually cheaper than LP tanks, but it is not as safe as gas already processed for propane tanks.
However, the trend is that most seasoned or savvy BBQ addicts will gradually move to charcoal, instead of gas grilling, because of the taste and smoky flavor that is so rewarding it is hard to resist. But what they don’t realize is that excessive contact with coal ashes or burning of charcoal and use of light fluid has been the cause of many toxification cases in many states of America.
Particularly, a research performed in the Rice University in 2003, has concluded that poly-unsaturated fatty acids forming in the meat and dissolving to the surrounding atmosphere as the direct result of burning charcoal was the number one course for Houston air pollution and number of emergency incidences where old people with asthma and breathing problems were sent to hospitals. The University also recommend using safely starter fluid instead of gasoline to light the charcoal grill.
Repeated exposure to charcoal ashes and toxic light fluids used to fire charcoal for a long period is also known as a potential risk for cancer. Hazardous carcinogenic compounds such as Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons also known as PAH, can impart into the meat when dripping animal fat is burned directly on hot coal and produce toxic smokes.
Conclusion
So as you can see, in a way, both gas and charcoal have some negative impacts on your health. Gas is probably not a good option for those who suffer heart attacks, while charcoal, on the other hand, might not bring about any short term side effects, but potentially more serious problems can immerge after long term explore.
This article was written by Rebecca, a seasoned barbecue addict. Grilling is simply Rebecca’s passion. She has written many articles on this topic, including frequent reviews for GrillSavvy.com – a site dedicated to educating consumers about choosing gas, charcoal and electric bbq grills, as well as other cooking tips and ideas.
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