Grilling with charcoal, and grilling in general, is associated with creating carcinogens and increasing your risk of cancer. The risk is highest when you cook meat high in fat at high temperatures. There are ways to decrease this risk.

Q: Is it healthier to grill with propane or charcoal? A: Props go to propane. In one study by scientists, charcoal-grilled meats contained more carcinogens called polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) than meat heated with propane. Propane still produces some PAHs and HCAs, though, so take these steps with any grill.

Charring, burning or grilling meat, poultry and fish over high temperatures causes heterocyclic amines (HCAs) to form. These HCAs can damage a person’s genes, raising the risk for stomach and colorectal cancers.

Yes, You Can Grill With Cooking Wood Once lit, it can heat up to extremely hot temperatures, allowing you to sear meat from 500-800 degrees. Many people think that cooking wood cannot get as hot as charcoal, but this is only true when using lower quality wood.

The Best Charcoal for Grilling of 2021

• Royal Oak Lump Charcoal.
• Rockwood Lump Charcoal.
• Jealous Devil Lump Charcoal.
• Kingsford Original Briquettes.
• Fogo Super Premium.
• Royal Oak Briquettes.
• Weber 100 Percent Hardwood Briquettes.
• Carbon de Coco Briquettes.

You can absolutely use both firewood and charcoal in your grill. When using both types of fuel, though, it’s recommended that you use wood smoking chunks rather than logs. By separating your smoking chunks from your charcoal, they won’t burn as quickly.

Using wood when grilling or BBQing instead of charcoal is easy. Simply add your wood to the grill, light on fire (you can use all natural firestarters, newspaper, or Cedar kindling, for example).