It’s summer, and summer means grilling, and grilling means arguing about grilling. Among the dads (and the dads at heart) crewing their outdoor fire

The Greenest Way to Grill

submited by
Style Pass
2021-07-11 19:00:10

It’s summer, and summer means grilling, and grilling means arguing about grilling. Among the dads (and the dads at heart) crewing their outdoor firepits, fuel is a popular subject of debate. Gas grills, fired from natural-gas lines or propane tanks, offer convenience. But many outdoor-cooking purists insist that wood or charcoal is the only respectable way to sear—and the only way to barbecue. (I’ll save for another time the difference between grilling and barbecuing, but for now let me say that if you think they’re the same, you are wrong.)

Sometimes the disputes are gastronomical, with charcoal champions arguing that it imparts a smokier taste worthy of the fuss and mess. Other times, they are moralistic in tenor, connecting open-flame grilling to a stereotype of masculinity. But grilling can be judged on another register: the ecological one. The fire and smell of a wood or charcoal burn call forth a sense of rugged pastoralism—but could your woodsy fantasy destroy the actual woods?

Let’s start with a small comfort: Grilling has a negligible carbon impact in the United States. Here, home cooking of any kind, indoor or out, is responsible for a small part of overall carbon emissions and fossil-fuel use, no matter whether it’s powered by gas, propane, wood, or electricity. Any reduction in emissions is good, but if reducing your home’s carbon footprint is your goal, you could win bigger victories by examining your automobiles and space heating. Phasing out solid-fuel cookstoves in nations where they are prevalent, including China, India, Ethiopia, and Nigeria, could reduce emissions substantially. In America, however, outdoor home cooking comprises merely a fraction of home cooking’s fraction.

Leave a Comment