re barbecued foods and health risk rsilver world std com richard silver writes some recent postings remind me that i had read about risks associated with the barbecuing of foods namely that carcinogens are generated is this a valid concern if so is it a function of the smoke or the elevated temperatures is it a function of the cooking elements wood or charcoal vs lava rocks i wish to know more thanks i recall that the issue is that fat on the meat liquifies and then drips down onto the hot elements whatever they are that the extreme heat then catalyzes something in the fat into one or more carcinogens which then are carried back up onto the meat in the smoke the ol professor
