Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons
Also known as PAHs, PAH, Benzo[a]pyrene, Benzopyrene
A family of chemical contaminants carried in smoke, some of them carcinogenic, that the curesmith limits by how the smoke is generated and applied.
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, or PAHs, are a large family of compounds formed when wood or fat burns incompletely. They travel in smoke and settle on the surface of smoked meat, and some of them, benzo[a]pyrene the best known, are recognised carcinogens, which is why smoking carries this chemical hazard alongside its flavour.
How much is deposited depends on how the smoke is made and used. Hotter, dirtier combustion, direct contact with flames, fat dripping and flaring on a heat source, and heavy or prolonged smoking all raise PAH levels, while a cooler, cleaner smoke from a well-run generator, kept off direct flame, keeps them low.
The curesmith's controls are practical rather than chemical: generate smoke cleanly and indirectly, keep flames and flare-ups away from the meat, and do not over-smoke. The same restraint that protects flavour from turning acrid also keeps this hazard down.