Hungry? Don’t Let Haste Flame the Fire

May 07, 2013

There’s nothing better than a flame-broiled steak cooked out on the grill, and with the warm weather finally here, smelling my neighbor’s grill going got me hungry to get my own grill cooking for the first time this season. I’ve had my cooker for several years so I should have taken a few minutes to do a quick checkup before cranking up the flames on my gas grill. As soon as the temperature hit 500 degrees, I threw on the t-bone steaks and headed back into the kitchen to get the salad tossed.

When I stepped back out on the deck to flip the steaks, I was greeted with a ball of flames and smoke billowing out the back of the grill from a flare up!  I screamed for my husband, who was able to endure the heat and turn off the propane burners before taking off charred steaks. The steaks were ruined, along with the grill, but luckily my husband and I didn’t get cooked.

One simple step many grillers like myself skip is to clean the grill, empty the drip pan, and check the propane hoses – especially important if it’s been awhile since the last barbeque. According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, thousands of people are rushed to the emergency room each year due to grill-related accidents, many due to the faulty habits of their operators.  The National Fire Data Center estimates grill fires at homes cause $37 million in property loss each year. My loss? About $20 for the steaks, and now I’ll need to go out and buy a new grill, which will probably be around $300.

Before your first BBQ this year, follow these tips instead of rushing to get dinner grilling:

  • Check all the hoses and nozzle on the propane tank.
  • Replace the steel burner plates if they are corroded: a $25 repair is better than spending hundreds of dollars for a new grill.
  • Clean out the drip pan so the old grease can’t catch fire as mine did.
  • Make sure you have a fire extinguisher nearby.
  • Position your grill away from deck railings and house siding – you should have a 10 ft. clearance away from any structures that could catch fire.
  • Never leave your grill unattended, not even for a minute – since flare ups can happen and get out of control quickly.

Learn from my mistake, and with Memorial Day weekend soon approaching, take a few minutes now to clean and prep your grill and save the cost of replacing your cooker.