Six tips for sustainable barbecuing

Did you know? According to the Federal Environment Agency, around 95 per cent of climate-relevant emissions from barbecues are not caused by the food being barbecued. Producing one kilogramme of beef requires more than 15,000 litres of water! Pork needs about 6,000 litres and poultry about 4,300 litres of water per kilogram.

Vegetables such as carrots, potatoes, and lettuce need less than 250 litres per kilo. Producing meat substitutes also only emits one tenth of the amount of greenhouse gases compared to beef. In other words, vegetables and substitute products are far more sustainable.

But do you simply prefer meat? Then you can make your barbecue evening a little more environmentally friendly with these simple tricks.

A big barbecue just isn’t practical for camping. Disposable barbecues are practical but not sustainable because they produce a lot of waste.

Reusable camping barbecues are a much better alternative. They cook with gas, electricity or classic coal. The electric barbecue is especially sustainable – particularly if it uses proven sustainable electricity. The gas barbecue is the second most sustainable option and charcoal comes in last.

You also need to bear in mind that, in many regions, open fires and charcoal barbecues are almost always prohibited during the summer months, especially at campsites.

However, there is an alternative that you probably haven’t considered: solar barbecues. They are relatively new and are currently the most sustainable option available because the barbecue itself does not produce any CO2. Zero! Solar barbecues are available from a handful of manufacturers, and they work great. A vacuum inside a glass tube heats the barbecue up to 280 degrees, depending on the manufacturer. The catch: barbecuing at night is difficult.

Where does the charcoal come from? Only some of it comes from the UK. It often contains tropical wood. The UK may be listed as the country of origin on the packaging, but the wood is often only packaged in this country. The long transport path of tropical wood worsens the environmental balance. So, pay attention to sustainability seals like FSC.

Plus, there are alternatives such as coconut or bamboo briquettes. The good thing is that these are made from waste products. However, the long transport distances from the country of origin are less than ideal. Briquettes made from olive pits or corn cobs often have shorter supply distances. If you pay attention to this, then they are the better choice. Corn cobs also burn particularly quickly, and olive pit briquettes burn longer and hotter than conventional coal.

Chemical barbecue lighters? Preferably not. They have an unpleasant odour, can make the fire uncontrollable, are harmful to health and can release carcinogenic substances when burned. On top of that, their ingredients are not good for the environment. Using natural barbecue lighters made of wood or cardboard are better alternatives. These can also come with the FSC seal.

Or you could simply make your own barbecue lighter from old egg cartons, leftover candle wax, and sawdust. Stuff a little sawdust into the hollows in the egg carton, then pour some of the candle wax on top and press it down firmly. Softening the wax in a glass of warm water is the easiest way to do this because the wax melts at temperatures as low as 40 ºC. However, make sure that you only use candle wax without paraffin, otherwise the wax can produce toxic smoke when it burns.

Barbecuing feta, vegetables and fish? Delicious! But without aluminium foil, please. Especially because the aluminium can dissolve and accumulate in food, especially with particularly salty and acidic foods, which is extremely unhealthy. In addition, the used aluminium foil cannot be recycled due to contamination. That is why barbecue baskets or boards are better options.

Vegetable leaves are an excellent, environmentally friendly alternative for fish and cheese. Leaves from cabbage, chard, grapevines, banana or corn are all suitable. Stuff the leaves and secure with thread, toothpicks or skewers. Then brush with oil to make them more heat-resistant. The leaves are not only healthier and more sustainable, they also look on the barbecue!

Are the dishes rattling while you drive your camper van? Disposable crockery is still not a good option. Many single-use plastic items are banned or restricted in the UK and paper plates are anything but environmentally friendly because they are often coated with plastic. Invest once in a good and robust camping crockery set. A range of sustainable versions are available made from bamboo or stainless steel, for example. Bamboo tableware is light and robust. Plus, the raw material grows back relatively quickly and is naturally biodegradable. However, the crockery can become discoloured after a while, especially from coffee, black tea or tomato sauces. That is why stainless steel crockery is probably the most durable choice. One thing to consider, is that stainless steel conducts heat more quickly, meaning that food and drinks do not stay warm for as long.

The barbecue evening is over. You tidy up. Throw out the rubbish. Then it’s time to clean the barbecue grate. Do it the simple and sustainable way – mix 100 grams of baking soda, a tablespoon of salt, and a tablespoon of citric acid powder to make a scouring powder. Then scrub the grate with it, preferably after soaking the grate in water beforehand. This lets you easily clean off baked on grease and even rust without using aggressive chemicals.

Take one onion. Peel it, cut it in half and skewer it on a barbecue fork. Important: the grate should still be hot or at least warm. Without touching the hot grate, rub the cut surface of the skewered onion vigorously over the encrusted areas on the grill. Once the grate has cooled down, simply rinse it off with water. The onion disinfects the grate, removes germs and also ensures that less meat sticks to the grate at the next barbecue party.