Beer lovers, tune in. We've just found one more good excuse to consume as much beer as possible. The American Chemical Society’s 'Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry' has concluded that cooking meat in beer is a good idea.
The researchers found that beer reduces polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), which are a group of chemicals that form on meat after it's been cooked at a high temperature, like when you barbecue. In experiments with laboratory animals, PAHs have been associated with a risk of cancer.
The scientists came to this conclusion after an experiment we definitely wish we had been around for. First they marinated pork loin in three different beers -- a pilsner, a non-alcoholic pilsner and a black beer. Then they barbecued each piece of pork and compared them with an unmarinated piece. They found that the black beer reduced PAHs the most -- at 53 percent. Next best was the non-alcoholic pilsner, which reduced PAHs by 25 percent, and the regular pilsner at 13 percent.
As big fans of cooking with beer, we'll take this research as a sanction to go full steam ahead. And the study came at the perfect time, too. With summer grilling season on the horizon, you have another great excuse to buy even more beer -- especially the dark kind. It's science.
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