Avoid oil: Secrets to healthier pork neck grilling

We have a long weekend ahead and the end of the summer grilling season, so it's worth making the most of the excellent weather and throwing some meat on the grill. But before you start dreaming about mouth-watering pork neck, see how to avoid health problems.

If grilling were an Olympic sport, we'd return from Paris with an armful of gold medals. Whenever the weather favours us, the scent of grilled sausage and blood sausage wafts from backyard gardens and balconies. The pork neck is next to them on the grill, which needs a bit more time. We shouldn't overeat pork, as it's a fatty meat, but we make it worse with the wrong marinade. One ingredient can turn even the best-seasoned and freshest meat into poison.

It seems an essential part of the marinade, holding everything together. Some people even add it to spices when marinating the meat in buttermilk. Oil, which we are talking about, is not a suitable addition to marinated pork neck. It's not about taste or price but our most valuable thing – health.

Under high temperatures, the oil drips onto the hot coals, creating smoke and harmful substances. The pork neck becomes as tough as a shoe sole and quickly burns. However, that's not the point of grilled meat, although some people like charred meat. For your health's sake, avoiding such well-done pieces is better.

Some might think – how am I supposed to marinate the meat? The spices won't stick? There's a problem, so there must be a solution. To create an aromatic marinade, use liquid ingredients like soy sauce, honey, wine vinegar, or citrus juice. Add a pinch of turmeric, ginger, and aromatic herbs like thyme or oregano. For lovers of spicier flavours, we also recommend adding hot pepper.

You can use dry spices as you see fit and according to your preferences. However, it's worth giving up on oil.