See also: Article on Smoked Fish; Ham; etc.

SMOKED FOODS

CAUTION: Smoked foods contain polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons which are known carcinogens.  Smoked foods are known to be carcinogenic when eaten as a regular part of a person's diet.

Most people do not eat enough smoked foods for this to be a major concern. 

HOWEVER, the hotter the wood or charcoal burns, the more polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons that are produced. 

Mesquite burns hotter than hardwood charcoal, and produces much more of these dangerous hydrocarbons. One study found 8 times the cancer causing polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in meat cooked with mesquite than hardwood charcoal, and 40 times the benzopyrene, the most dangerous hydrocarbon.

I like the flavor of mesquite, but this information gives some serious food for thought.
 

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