Today I learned that not only does grilling meat create harmful molecules that are bad for you (and can increase the risk of developing colon cancer), but that adding beer (dark beers in particular) to meat marinades can reduce the presence of these molecules.
“The PAHs (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons) created by grilling form from molecules called free radicals which, in turn, form from fat and protein in the intense heat of this type of cooking. One way of stopping PAH-formation, then, might be to apply chemicals called antioxidants that mop up free radicals. And beer is rich in these, in the shape of melanoidins, which form when barley is roasted.”
And sure enough, marinading a steak with a dark beer cut the PAHs in half.
“When cooked, unmarinated steaks had an average of 21 nanograms (billionths of a gram) of PAHs per gram of grilled meat. Those marinated in Pilsner averaged 18 nanograms. Those marinated in black beer averaged only 10 nanograms.”
So this summer, be sure to add beer to your marinades and have a “beer-becue” (har-dee-har-harr).