Beer marinade lowers cancer risk in grilled meats, study says

Meat and beer: The two best things of barbecue season.

Now, grilled meat marinated in your favorite brew is even better, thanks to science.

According to a recent study, soaking your meat in beer can reduce levels of potentially cancerous substances in grilled meats.

Writing in the American Chemical Society’s Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, a group of European scientists found that beer marinades reduced the amount of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), the carcinogens known to form on meat when cooked at very high temperatures.

Health experts have recommended limiting exposure to PAHs because of their link to cancer, tumors, birth defects, and "reproductive problems" in lab animals.

So what beer should you use?  Pilsner and black beer are most effective.  According to the study, after a four-hour soak in the marinade the PAH levels in grilled pork loin were reduced by half, compared with unmarinated pork.

Even a non-alcoholic pilsner reduced the material by 25 percent. Regular pilsner performed the worst at 13 percent.

So, go on.  Brush off that grill and make sure you have lots of dark ale on hand for your next barbecue party.  And take heart that it’s all for the sake of science.

Want to give it a try?  Try this recipe for Beer And Brown Sugar Ribeye Steak.