How to prevent flare-ups on the grill
Charcoal grills have so many great things about them: decent prices, easy-to-use for beginners, amazing taste guaranteed, and more. However, if there is one thing that can scare anyone off of buying a charcoal grill, it is flare-ups that can be mildly annoying to be a serious danger. In this article, we will tell you what exactly are they and how to prevent flare-ups
What are flare-ups?
Flare-ups are sudden bursts of intense fire that happen as a result of oil or drippings from your food onto the hot coals, and they can also happen when you’re first placing your food on the grill grates or as you’re removing it.
Some flare-ups can be nothing but sudden little flicks of fire that barely reach your food (they do increase heat, however, so keep an eye out for burnt food), and others can be quite big and suddenly set your grill on fire.
Frankly speaking, they can be dangerous and in some extreme cases, they can cause grease fires, but that’s not to say they’re completely unavoidable.
How to prevent flare-ups
We’ve compiled some tips on how to prevent those nasty flare-ups, as well as some do’s and don’ts when trying to control them.
1st TIP: Keep your grill clean
Yes, we know, It might have gotten tiring and repetitive to hear the constant nagging from everyone to keep your grill clean, but we are saying it for a reason.
Most ‘accidents’ (aka, fires) happen to be caused by leftover food and grease from previous uses, which is why removing all sorts of residue from last week’s barbeque is very important.
A deep clean, although recommended to do at least once or twice during BBQ season, is not necessary to do after every single use. Using a grill brush (another substitute that gets the job done just as good is aluminum foil) to scrub off any pesky residues, then cleaning the grates as well as the rest of your grill with soap, warm water, and clean cloth is more than enough.
Don’t forget to dry your grill very well before calling it a night, as water can lead to rusting. Doing this quick cleaning after every use, as tedious as it can be, will help prevent flare-ups.
2nd TIP: Get rid of as much liquids as possible
You might be scratching your head in confusion at the word ‘liquids’, but let us explain. Sauces, oils, and excess fat are things that might give your steak a great taste, but they’re also things that can fuel a flare-up.
As much it might pain you to hear this: cutting down on as much sauces, oil, and excess fat as you can will help prevent flare-ups.
We’re not saying sacrifice the flavor of your steak, we’re simply saying it’s best to be safe.
3rd TIP: Keep the lid closed
By keeping the lid open, you’re risking more flare-ups because factors like venting and air can lead to dripping from your food onto the coals. If you keep your grill’s lid closed, you’ll be reducing that risk, and a big plus is that keeping the lid closed gives your food that signature smoky flavor we all know and love. Safe and yummy.
4th TIP: Avoid grilling in the wind
With strong winds comes oxygen; said oxygen will go in between the grates due to the force of the wind, which in result can lead to flare-ups.
Try to avoid windy areas as much as possible, and if you happen to pick a day to host a BBQ party but the times are windy. Take the party inside or consider rescheduling if you’re ahead of time.
5th TIP: Don’t overcrowd your grill
Sometimes, when a grill is spacious enough, we tend to overcrowd it with a bunch of food at once to save time. We’re all guilty of doing that at least once or twice.
However, this is something that should be taken just a tiny bit more seriously. When a flare-up happens, you should move your food away from the flame to prevent it from becoming a piece of nothing but burnt steak.
But, how can you do that when your grill has all sorts of meats and vegetables piled on top?. We all want to finish grilling as fast as possible to start eating, but eating might be hard to do if your food is burnt.
6th TIP: Keep an eye out for grease
barbecue parties tend to be fun for the whole family and everybody is having a great time so it can be distracting to keep aa eye on the grill but you need to be sure because grease can collect by the side, and result in a sudden and big flare-up that can burn your food and/ or put you and your loved ones in danger. So, let’s keep an eye on the grill as you put the meat, move the meat, remove the meat, and more; make sure to catch any pools of grease.
What to do when dealing with flare- ups
We’ve caught you up on some ways to keep any flare-ups from happening, but that doesn’t mean that they’re no longer a risk. We’ll give you some extra points on what to do and what not to do in case you’re dealing with a flare-up.
- Have a two-zone fire
If a specific food that you have on the grill grates suddenly causes a flare-up, move it to the zone that has no coals until the flare-up has subsided. Once it’s done, you may put it back over the fire, but keep an eye out in case it happens again!
- Cover the grill
You don’t have a two-zone fire, you’re a bit scared to turn off the burners, simply close the lid of your grill and keep an eye out. Remember that oxygen feeds the fire, so by closing your grill you’d be stopping the O2 from flowing in, thus the flare-up slowly ceases. Once you’ve seen that the flare-up is over, you may continue with your grilling.
- Keep a fire extinguisher near you
You know, sometimes we do all the right things yet something still goes wrong! So, folks, you can never ever go wrong with a handy dandy fire extinguisher to help you extinguish those flames.
What NOT to do when dealing with flare-ups
Don’t use water: simply put, oil and water aren’t friends, and if you put them together it would lead to a very nasty fire that nobody wants. Using water will make the grease spread out and will make it explode thus creating more fire. Also, it will evaporate from the intense heat thus creating a cloud of aches that will make matters worse. if it necessary to through something on the fire to put it down try som dirt from around you or a bucket of sand it will but the fire down immediately.
