Hi Team, I am a kamado owner, and I found an article of yours on the web regarding charcoals. In slow 'n low cooking, some charcoals are unlit, and during the smoldering combustion, they become lit. When transitioning from unlit to lit, they emit emissions, such as CO, CO2, and PAHs, but is this safe? Are these emissions less during the first combustion stage (flaming)? Will all the emissions be absorbed by the meat?
Not unless you are indoors. NEVER use charcoal or wood indoors. In fact, NEVER use any outdoor grill indoors even if it is gas. Camp stoves or griddles up to say 22 inches are OK, but only if there is a hurricane or something that kills electricity. Also my hurricane kit contains a Blackstone 22 inch propane griddle and some single burner butane eyes. but I would NEVER use any charcoal grill indoors. Or in my garage. Or anyplace with a covered roof that has more than one solid wall.
@Somkeeygator "not unless you are indoors. NEVER use charcoal or wood indoors."
not unless you are indoors. NEVER use charcoal or wood indoors.
Ditto and Ditto
MAK 2 Star pellet
Big Green Egg
Fuego gasser
Pitboss ceramic griddle
Eastman Outdoors wok burner
Ooni 16 pizza oven
Cast iron chimenea with pizza steel
Breeo smokeless fire pit, with Titan rotisserie and Titan Santa Maria style adjustable grate
Oklahoma Joe Bronco
Au contraire. To avoid any problems, pack cooked food in dry ice and ship to me in central Washington. After rigorous testing, if still vertical, I will issue a full report.
You’ll be fine. I would follow SmokeyGator advice to the letter. If it’s any help I’m old and have been doing this for a long time. I use kamados all the time. I can’t find any health problems related to cooking bbq or consuming it. Worry will get you a lot sooner than thin blue smoke.
For me, I live in Los Angeles. Second hand smoke, forest fires, traversing the freeway system with bumper to bumper cars, a gas furnace to keep me warm in the winter, and using a gas stove just about every day has me more concerned than what I am being exposed to than occasionally using charcoal to enjoy the hobby that I love.
Kamado Joe Big Joe III
Pit Barrel Cooker
Camp Chef Flat Top 900
Weber Performer 22
PowerFlamer Propane 160
Meater +
Thermoworks Smoke
Thermoworks Thermapen
Temp Spike
For all you jokesters, I think this is a fair thing to ask, and just because you never thought of it doesn't mean it's a bad question. This is essentially the same question as "is it bad to add unlit charcoal to my fire" or "does the snake method give off bad smoke?"
Grilling with charcoal has a negligible impact on human-induced climate change, but as long as you are outdoors, its impact on your individual health will be negligible too.
As above, if you're cooking outdoors the emitted gases should not pose a health hazard for you. If you are asking if the meat absorbs PAHs, there is published literature indicating it does. If interested, a review is here. You should keep all of this in perspective. There are lots of environmental toxicants we are all exposed to. I suspect pulled smoked pork butt is not the worst. Even toasting bread creates some potentially carcinogenic compounds. However, I still smoke meats and have toast in the morning. Maybe I would give them up if they didn't taste so darn good.
Welcome from Oz,
My two cents, with all due respect mate, I think you might be a victim of the "sell clicks at any cost" media that we all have to endure these days. The "Bacon gives you cancer" headline last year was a particular fave of mine.
I reckon if you gotta die of something, you might as well make it something tasty.
Comment