Barbecue, at its most fundamental, is the cooking of food over an open flame. What differentiates barbecue from other cooking methods is how heat reaches the food.
Thanks to some intriguing chemistry, cooking food over an open flame produces unique tastes.
Simply the simple idea of barbecues smoky scents and intoxicating tastes is enough to get most mouths watering. Summer season is here, and for many individuals in the United States that means it is barbecue season.
I am a chemist who studies compounds found in nature, and I am likewise a fan of food– including barbecue. Cooking on a grill might appear easy, however there is a lot of complicated chemistry that sets barbecue apart from other cooking techniques and results in such a delicious experience.
Cooking over an open flame– whether from gas, wood or charcoal– enables you to use both glowing and conductive heat to prepare food. Credit: Romary/Wikimedia Commons
Cooking with fire
First, it is essential to define barbecue because the term can indicate different things in various geographic areas and cultures. Barbecue, at its many standard, is the cooking of food over an open flame. What identifies barbecue from other cooking approaches is how heat reaches the food.
On a barbecue, the hot grill grates heat the food via direct contact through a process understood as conduction. In contrast, when cooking on a stovetop, there is much less radiation and most of the cooking is done where the food is in direct contact with the pan.
Two huge options in barbecuing is cooking directly above the flames with direct heat, or farther away using indirect heat.
When barbecuing, you can either put the food straight above the flames– what is called direct heat– or further away on indirect heat. The direct cooking approach subjects the food to extremely high temperature levels, as the grilling surface area can be anywhere from 500 to 700 degrees Fahrenheit (260 to 371 ° Celsius). The indirect cooking technique places the heat source to the side of the food or far below, exposing the food to temperatures around 200 to 300 ° F (93 to 149 ° C).
Cooking is the process of utilizing high temperature levels to drive chemical responses that change food at a molecular level. This response produces a complex mix of particles that make food taste more savory or “meaty” and includes depth to fragrances and tastes.
Barbecuing permits the water to leak or evaporate down without getting caught by a pan. These responses turn carbohydrates and sugars into smaller sized compounds like maltol– which has a warm flavor– and furan– which tastes nutty, meaty, and caramel-like.
Its much easier to manage the level of charring on food when cooking on a barbecue. Credit: Lablascovegmenu/Wikimedia Commons
Char and crisp
Another hallmark of grilled food is the unique char it develops. When foods are exposed to heat for prolonged time periods, non-carbon atoms in the food break down, leaving behind the crispy, black carbon. This is the procedure of burning or charring.
Almost no one likes a totally charred piece of meat, however little splashes of crispy char flavor can add such depth to foods. Cooking over the direct heat of a barbecue enables you to include just the amount of char to match your taste.
Unfortunately for those who like a little extra crisp, some of the chemicals in charred meat– molecules called heterocyclic amines and polycyclic fragrant hydrocarbons– are known carcinogens. Though the risks are far lower than cigarette smoking cigarettes, for example, limiting the quantity of charring on meats can help in reducing the threat of establishing cancer.
Smoke provides barbecued foods much of their special flavor.
Smoky flavors
Cooking over wood or charcoal involves a lot of smoke. As smoke swirls around the barbecue, the food will absorb its tastes.
Smoke is comprised of gases, water vapor and small solid particles from the fuel. Burning wood breaks down molecules called lignans, and these develop into smaller sized natural particles– including syringol and guaiacol– that are primarily responsible for the quintessential smoky taste.
The components of the smoke can get taken in when smoke comes in contact with food. Food is especially proficient at handling smoky flavors because it contains both fats and water. Each binds to various kinds of particles. In chemistry terms, fats are non-polar– suggesting they have a weak electric charge– and easily grab other non-polar particles. Water is polar– indicating it has areas of favorable charge and an area of negative charge comparable to a magnet– and is proficient at binding to other polar molecules. Some foods are much better at taking in smoky tastes than others, depending on their structure. One method to use chemistry to make food more smoky is to periodically spray it with water throughout the grilling process.
Smoke can contain numerous possible carcinogens depending on what you are burning. Just a percentage of research study has actually been done on whether grilled foods absorb adequate smoke to posture a substantial threat to health. Researchers understand that inhaling smoke is strongly associated with cancer.
While the concept of barbecuing your preferred meal may evoke the feeling of easy pleasures, the science behind it is quite intricate. The next time you take pleasure in the smoky goodness of food from a grill, you will ideally value the varied nature of the compounds and reactions that assisted produce it.
Composed by Kristine Nolin, Associate Professor of Chemistry, University of Richmond.
This short article was very first released in The Conversation.
In contrast, when cooking on a stovetop, there is much less radiation and many of the cooking is done where the food is in direct contact with the pan.
The indirect cooking method puts the heat source to the side of the food or far below, exposing the food to temperatures around 200 to 300 ° F (93 to 149 ° C).
When foods are exposed to heat for extended periods of time, non-carbon atoms in the food break down, leaving behind the crispy, black carbon.
