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Green BBQ?

M

Marsha

Guest
We catered a lunch for 55 people in Silicon Valley yesterday. Everyone raved about how good the food was. But we had one question passed on to us later from an attendee who belongs to a Silicon Valley green business organization. They often have food at their events and gatherings and he wanted to know if we could do "Green BBQ" for them?
Pardon my ignorance, but what on earth is "Green BBQ"!?
 
"When the weather gets warmer, Americans fire up their grills by the millions, and the breezes fill with the characteristic scent of sizzling meats and roasting vegetables. Cooking over an open flame is deeply embedded in our genetic memory, so it's no surprise that so many of us enjoy a good BBQ -- especially when we invite over some friends and family. The trouble is, grilling can be toxic, even downright polluting. Burning charcoal or wood produces clouds of sooty particles that can lodge in lungs, irritating asthma and other respiratory problems. Carcinogenic volatile organic compounds like benzene are released. The whole mess can contribute to smog.
To make matters worse, overcharring meat can produce toxic chemicals in the food itself. Still, this doesn't mean you have to swear off the sizzle. With the right gear and a few tips, you can still kick back, throw a great barbecue, and grill up some world-class eats."


Video
 
trp1fox said:
"When the weather gets warmer, Americans fire up their grills by the millions, and the breezes fill with the characteristic scent of sizzling meats and roasting vegetables. Cooking over an open flame is deeply embedded in our genetic memory, so it's no surprise that so many of us enjoy a good BBQ -- especially when we invite over some friends and family. The trouble is, grilling can be toxic, even downright polluting. Burning charcoal or wood produces clouds of sooty particles that can lodge in lungs, irritating asthma and other respiratory problems. Carcinogenic volatile organic compounds like benzene are released. The whole mess can contribute to smog.
To make matters worse, overcharring meat can produce toxic chemicals in the food itself. Still, this doesn't mean you have to swear off the sizzle. With the right gear and a few tips, you can still kick back, throw a great barbecue, and grill up some world-class eats."


Video
Click to expand...

What the heck... marinated tofu cubes? I think my answer to them will be a definite "NO!"

Propane or natural gas are your most environmentally-friendly liquid options. They’re not perfect, but they’re generally more efficient even than your oven. Solar barbecues are starting to hit the market—check out www.solarcooking.ca.
Finally, just because it’s BBQ doesn’t mean it has to be meat. Keep up that low-meat diet.http://www.aboutmyplanet.com/daily-green-tips/daily-green-tip-3-eat-vegetarian Skewered veggies (think peppers, zucchini, red onions) with marinated tofu cubes is a great summery option. Happy grilling!
 
Marsha said:
We catered a lunch for 55 people in Silicon Valley yesterday. Everyone raved about how good the food was. But we had one question passed on to us later from an attendee who belongs to a Silicon Valley green business organization. They often have food at their events and gatherings and he wanted to know if we could do "Green BBQ" for them?
Pardon my ignorance, but what on earth is "Green BBQ"!?
Click to expand...

You should check to see if burning chunk or lump can be described or spun as carbon neutral. In other words, the off gasses during burning are off set by the "positive" gasses being excreted while the material was alive before harvesting or production.

Combine this with some statement about local ingredients, range fed, etc, and you could perhaps call it green.
 
Marsha, I'd go with your first thought.

Tell them to take a hike.
 
Maybe Spicewine can convert over to gas for his smokers......:eek:

To the penalty box! :icon_sleepy
 
Perhaps they are talking about using bio-degradable/compostable plates, napkins, silverware, cups, etc.

I get these request from time to time, however, they never referred to it as "green bbq."
 
big brother smoke said:
Perhaps they are talking about using bio-degradable/compostable plates, napkins, silverware, cups, etc.

I get these request from time to time, however, they never referred to it as "green bbq."
Click to expand...

I believe that is exactly what their talking about!

Funny thing, walked thru Restaurant Depot....nothing in there even resembling going green.
 
Bbq Bubba said:
I believe that is exactly what their talking about!

Funny thing, walked thru Restaurant Depot....nothing in there even resembling going green.
Click to expand...

Although this maybe part of it. I guarantee you it has to do with what food is cooked (vegetarian, sustainable etc), how it's cooked, no burning of non renewable resources. They probably will want to control what you wear to the event along with what you drive in.

If you don't live in this area you have no idea just how wacko the people in that area of California are.
 
You could always serve up some green wings:-D

GreenBBQ.jpg


My BIL makes them with a jalepeno jelly and lime cool aid for coloring. The look on faces is priceless when they see them.
 
G$ said:
You should check to see if burning chunk or lump can be described or spun as carbon neutral. In other words, the off gasses during burning are off set by the "positive" gasses being excreted while the material was alive before harvesting or production.

Combine this with some statement about local ingredients, range fed, etc, and you could perhaps call it green.
Click to expand...


And don't forget, you can then charge a Heck of ALot more for it.....:twisted:
 
I can go with recycling and compostable plates, etc. We do try to recycle whenever possible. We do not use styrofoam containers. I am just not sure about not using charcoal. And how much does the "green" charcoal cost compared to the regular stuff we use? And... if you smoke it right, you do not produce massive amounts of smoke anyway or the meat will taste bad. Right?
 
Just tell them that your fuel source is replenishable new growth wood, not fossil fuels, and that you filter your smoke to remove pollutants (then put some cheesecloth over your stack).
 
IMO as a green freak myself. BBQ is just about as green as it gets.

In my case, I use lump charcoal, unlike briquettes lump is compostable, you can add the ashes to a garden and grow bbq tomatoes.

The exhaust is that of a burning tree (if a squirrel did not get out in time) , no chemicals, no gas, only tree and meat.

There is no additives or preservatives, I make the rub, it is housed in glass containers not plastic.

Plus I use all natural meats, no additives, roids or hormones. That to me is green, very green.

I actually hate the term green and the fact that it is a sales pitch now. As a nation we have built ourselves a very large garbage dump and it's only common sense that maybe we should reduce a bit of the trash and figure out some creative and money making ways to deal with waste.
 
Kung Fu BBQ said:
IMO as a green freak myself. BBQ is just about as green as it gets.

In my case, I use lump charcoal, unlike briquettes lump is compostable, you can add the ashes to a garden and grow bbq tomatoes.

The exhaust is that of a burning tree (if a squirrel did not get out in time) , no chemicals, no gas, only tree and meat.

There is no additives or preservatives, I make the rub, it is housed in glass containers not plastic.

Plus I use all natural meats, no additives, roids or hormones. That to me is green, very green.

I actually hate the term green and the fact that it is a sales pitch now. As a nation we have built ourselves a very large garbage dump and it's only common sense that maybe we should reduce a bit of the trash and figure out some creative and money making ways to deal with waste.
Click to expand...


Well put!
 
A lot of lump charcoal is made from offcuts and waste pieces from other industries. Briquettes were invented to make money from a waste stream of wood at Ford, right? Both are saving something from a landfill. I guess the hardest thing is getting past the noxious gasses released during burning. Propane and Natural gas have dramatically less different types of chemicals in the exhaust than you get burning wood, but certainly don't taste as good.

But you have to cook beef. That way you can say that you are aiding in the termination of one steer's worth of methane releases... :wink:


.
 
Kung Fu BBQ said:
IMO as a green freak myself. BBQ is just about as green as it gets.

In my case, I use lump charcoal, unlike briquettes lump is compostable, you can add the ashes to a garden and grow bbq tomatoes.

The exhaust is that of a burning tree (if a squirrel did not get out in time) , no chemicals, no gas, only tree and meat.

There is no additives or preservatives, I make the rub, it is housed in glass containers not plastic.

Plus I use all natural meats, no additives, roids or hormones. That to me is green, very green.

I actually hate the term green and the fact that it is a sales pitch now. As a nation we have built ourselves a very large garbage dump and it's only common sense that maybe we should reduce a bit of the trash and figure out some creative and money making ways to deal with waste.
Click to expand...


Well said, and I guess some of the point of my post above was missed. Point being, with minor changes, default BBQ can be called green, and you can charge a premium for it to boot.

-> :mrgreen:
 
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