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Just A Friendly Reminder.........

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  • Just A Friendly Reminder.........

    All you folks that cook/smoke food, don't forget to take a little time to look at your equipment, it's condition, grease build up, etc..... AND where & what type of materials your equipment is sitting on or around...... Safety First Right?

    All my cooking gear is on concrete, but I spend a few weekends a year at my buddies "cabin" up in the mountains partying/cooking & he has a kettle that he cooks on, on a wood deck..... Tends to get a little breezy up their at times & just remember a lit piece of charcoal (or a few) briquettes that fall into an open ash catcher can get blown onto a wood deck....... Then, who knows what can happen ....... I inspected a house aboot a year ago that had part of the deck catch fire/burn, because the gal dumped all the "extinguished" briquettes into a cardboard box and set it on the deck, while she went in to serve dinner.... And wanted the grill cleaned out for the next thyme she used it Luckily, they were there & caught it in thyme.

    So, I suggested my buddy get a non flammable mat to put under his kettle if he was going to cook with it on the deck & suggested the lower level patio area would be ideal, although not located directly off the kitchen, like the deck & to close ALL vents upper & lower after cooking to help the charcoal or briquettes distinguish faster...... After cooking a rotisserie chicken on his kettle, I closed all vents....... It was slightly breezy...... Then I went back to check it a couple hours later & sure enough that slight breeze kept at least part of the briquettes going & the kettle was still warm to the touch.

    We cooked steaks Friday night on it, so not much concern aboot a bunch of grease dripping on the kettle sides ..... Later that night, I cooked a pack of bacon on it indirect with Apple for the following morning scramble.... Did not install a drip pan to help catch the grease..... Next day we cooked bacon wrapped ABT's indirect, in the same area as we cooked the bacon the night before.... Lots of grease in that area right? ..... DAMN RIGHT...... For our dinner that night, we were going to do a rotisserie chicken, so I was in getting the chicken cleaned & prepared & on to the spit for spinning & he went out to light the charcoal chimney..... He did & set it up dumping the coals in the same side we did the past 3 cooks..... I told him we need to burn off the grease before we put the chicken on, or we are most likely gonna have some problems ...... He didn't get it, so with tongs I took aboot 10 of the lit briquettes & moved them over to the side where we had been cooking all the food on..... Within a couple of minutes, that kettle was throwing up some serious flames & nasty black smoke with a pretty damn good grease fire going ...... So, it took aboot 10-15 minutes to burn all that grease off & when he moved the ash sweeper back & forth to clean out the bowel, greasy ash on fire fell into the ash bowl, which could have been blown onto the deck if the breeze was strong enough..... He was pretty amazed at how anything/everything inside could catch fire & potentially turn into a big problem....

    I cook primarily on kettles, butt this can happen with WSM's, electric smokers & I'm guessing anything used for cooking outdoors? ...... Cooking/smoking can-will-does produce a film on the side & top of your cooker, which I think is a combination of smoke-grease-heat, etc? that will "cake up" and form a "film" on your cooker..... If you don't keep that crust scraped off, it can decide to "un-attach" itself from the top/sides of your cooker & fall onto your precious food.... Typically in the form of small black flecks, but from my experience can also fall as SHEETS the size of your hand, right onto your cockspatched chicken! ....... Or at least I have been told

    Get a grate brush & knock that crap off the lid, or top, or sides from thyme to thyme & you will avoid this.... Not that I know aboot it or anything

    Just some observations while cooking with a buddy this weekend..... Also, make sure the tip of your Thermapen is tucked INSIDE its case...... Reaching into a pocket with a Thermapen tip greeting your finger/hand on the way in is no fun
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  • #2
    Good advice/reminder, Scott.

    I always scratch my head when I see pictures of people's charcoal smokers/grills set up on their wood deck with nothing underneath. Or smokers set up and going right next to the house.

    I've read posts on here about some pretty crazy grease fires . . . Best to be careful and not take chances in my opinion.

    Dave
    CUHS Metal Shop Reverse Flow
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    Proud Smoked-Meat Member #88
    -
    "All welcome, take what ya need, share what ya know. " -- Richtee, 12/2/2010

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    • #3
      Great thread and advise Scott! for you for helping folks with saftey.
      Smoke it.. and they will come!

      Rob
      Recipes & Smokes in HD Video
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      Yoder YS640
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      • #4
        Great advisement/reminder... I smoked a ham in the brinkmann for xmas, changed the ash pan and all, didnt scrape the sides top and such and had a grease fire..blew open the doors.. and almost ruined the whole thing! good post!
        Dream as if you will live forever, live as if you only have today!

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        • #5
          A $35 6 GALLON shop vac from Lowes works WONDERS when cleaning out ash, grill remnants, etc. Just remember, don't clean it out when it's still hot. Bonus is, when the vac stops working after about 2 years due to all the complete crap that's gone thru it, a new one is ONLY $35.

          By the way, I do have a wood deck, and the only thing I'll do on it is cook with the gasser. The smoker or any charcoal sits ONLY in the driveway at least 15 feet from the house. No reason to take any very expensive chances!! Even the traeger has had a grease fire or 2 when spatchcocking a chicken after doing a bunch of ribs and not cleaning her up properly!
          Last edited by tadowdaddy; 04-07-2013, 10:03 PM.
          Don

          Humphrey's Pint
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          • #6
            By the way, I do have a wood deck, and the only thing I'll do on it is cook with the gasser. The smoker or any charcoal sits ONLY in the driveway at least 15 feet from the house. No reason to take any very expensive chances!![/QUOTE]

            WORD!
            Dream as if you will live forever, live as if you only have today!

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            • #7
              Last week in Edmonton

              Bubba loaded up the smoker and went home for the night. $125,000 loss
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              Whoa O Black Betty Bam-Ba-Lam!

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              • #8
                Originally posted by Ron V View Post
                Bubba loaded up the smoker and went home for the night. $125,000 loss
                OOOOOOOOOOH!
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                • #9
                  Originally posted by Ron V View Post
                  Bubba loaded up the smoker and went home for the night. $125,000 loss
                  Ouch....Ounce of prevention's always been worth a pound of cure.
                  In God I trust- All others pay cash...
                  Check out the Mad Hunky and products at https://madhunkymeats.com or https://www.facebook.com/MadHunkyMeats
                  Lang 60D, The Beast, 18 and 22 WSM, Brinkmann Backroads trailer, Weber 22 Kettle, gutted MB burning watts

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                  • #10
                    Please feel free to add anything to this also. The more you know, the better off you will be prepared to handle, or prevent a bad experience, or worse
                    sigpic

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                    • #11
                      Good reminder. Spring Cleaning is for your Iron too, right?

                      It's warming up enough I keep wanting to take my rigs down to the car wash and clean em up a little.
                      New Braunfels Black Diamond
                      18.5" WSM
                      Weber Performer Deluxe Black
                      18.5 Weber Kettle
                      22.5 Weber Kettle
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                      6, 8, 10 and 12' Lodge DO

                      Smoked Meat Misfits: "the change it had to come. We knew it all along. We were liberated from the fold, that's all" - The Who.

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                      • #13
                        Same thing can happen in you gasser and in house oven also.
                        I made a big meatloaf last week, didn't notice the grease overflowed into the oven...went to bake Italian bread yesterday and.....Yup! Just close the door and suffocate it. DO NOT PUT WATER ON IT!
                        Ended up cookin the bread on the Pizza Weber! Excellent!
                        Mark
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                        "Likes smokey old pool rooms, clear mountain mornins. Little warm puppies, children and girls of the night"?
                        Smoked-Meat Certified Sausage Head!

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                        • #14
                          Excellent advice, Fish!

                          Originally posted by Fishawn View Post
                          the gal dumped all the "extinguished" briquettes into a cardboard box and set it on the deck, while she went in to serve dinner....
                          Becky
                          *****

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                          • #15
                            Well...I'll tell ya...fire extinguishers are important...two in the shop/garage...Biggun in the kitchen...one in all vehicles...And man...i've been involved in many aircraft fires! & have one ready for all engine starts at our hangar So it is cheap insurance...
                            Sunset Eagle Aviation
                            https://www.facebook.com/pages/Sunse...888015?fref=ts <... We sure could use some likes!

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