Today, I want to talk about cooking on the grill. I have seen a lot of dead cooked meat because either overcooking or a small distance between the charcoal and the grill. As coal releases about 300°C, I recommend a minimum distance of 10 centimetres. The warmer it is, the more often you have to turn the meat or whatever you cook on your grill.

Burnt meat contains elements that are not very good for health.
 
 
You will find below some tips from Sophie Martin, dietician:

    * Choose low-fat meat and remove all visible pieces of fat: fat that burns become polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), molecules involved in cancers.
    * Use marinades. A Portuguese study has shown that beef marinated for 6 hours in red wine did not produce heterocyclic amines. Another study had previously obtained the same result with the chicken placed for just 40 minutes in a mixture of brown sugar, olive oil, cider vinegar, garlic, mustard, salt and lemon juice.
    * Slightly pre-cook in the microwave, through away the juices  and then finish the cooking on the barbecue. According to the University of California, a passage of only 2 minutes reduced by 95% heterocyclic amines (HA), carcinogenic substances produced by the meat at high temperatures.
    * Turn it frequently. The good rhythm is once every minute. By keeping the internal temperature of meat lower decreases the production of bad elements.
    * Eat vegetables at the same time. Whether raw or cooked, they are a source of vitamins and fibre, and they dilute the aromatic hydrocarbons.
    * Choose the "clean" charcoal if possible as it produces less PAHs:  it should be labelled "above 85% carbon" or "Class A".


If you have a barbecue that is not very deep, I suggest you put charcoal in only half of the "tank", that way you have a cooler area to adjust the cooking. If you have a barbecue with a lid, the meat or whatever you put on your grill, continues to cook even if it’s not directly above the glowing charcoal.

The cooking time when barbecuing is more difficult to estimate than for cooking in the oven where the temperature control is better. We must rely on the appearance of what is cooked (the juice colour that comes out when pricked, the firmness of the meat, etc.).

Feel free to chat with us on our forum.

I wish you a nice and healthy barbecue,
Maîté ;o)