![](https://jewishvues.wpenginepowered.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Screen-Shot-2023-09-27-at-6.05.12-PM.png)
25 Jun KASHRUS QUESTIONS & ANSWERS WITH RABBI MOSHE ELEFANT
I’m hosting
a picnic and
some people
prefer fish to
meat. Can I
grill both of them together?
The Gemara (Pesachim 76b) teaches
that one may not cook fish and meat
together since the combination
of the two is considered a sakana
(dangerous). The Rama (YD 116:2)
adds that one should not even cook
open meat and fish in the same oven.
Nonetheless, it is permissible to cook
meat in a pot used for fish or to cook
fish in a pot used for meat, provided
the pots are perfectly clean from
residue (Isur V’heter cited by Taz YD
116:2).
In theory, if someone wishes to grill
fish on a BBQ grill used for meat, he
should ensure the grill is clean of meat
residue before grilling the fish. Even if
the grill is clean, if there is fish on one
side of the grill and meat on the other
side, one should not close the hood of
the barbecue as that would be a form
of cooking them together.
In practice, however, since it is difficult
to clean a grill, it is recommended
that the same grill rack should not
be used for meat and fish. Either the
fish should be double wrapped in
aluminum foil or separate grill racks
should be used.
Can I use flavored charcoal
briquettes for my barbecue?
Rav Belsky, zt”l held that one may
not use wine soaked wood chips or
charcoal briquettes that contain wine
flavors. Although the briquettes do
not directly touch the food and are
burned up in the fire, nevertheless they
release an aroma which impacts the
food. Not only is it forbidden to drink
non-kosher wines, but it is forbidden
to derive benefit from them as well.
Although Rama (Yoreh De’ah 123:1)
writes that nowadays if one is a facing
a situation of loss, one may be lenient
with regard to deriving benefit from
non-kosher wine, this leniency does
not permit one to use these briquettes
l’chatchila, in the first instance, since
this does not involve a situation of
loss. Other flavored briquettes such
as hickory and smoke do not pose a
problem. They are unlikely to contain
any non-kosher ingredients, and even
if they did, Shulchan Aruch (Yoreh
De’ah 108:1) rules that although it is
improper to allow a kosher food to
absorb a non-kosher aroma, it will
not make the food non-kosher.