5 Ways to Have a Cookout Everyone Enjoys
Fire departments respond to an average of 7,200 home fires started by grills each year, so we’ve put together these great safety tips to keep you grilling in style with your eyebrows and your home intact.
Check out these five tips to help you cook outdoors, whether it’s a fast grill or a slow roast for your barbecue. Remember, always take your time and practice common sense when grilling. If you think something may be risky, don’t try it.
Learn Your Grill
Sometimes it’s inexperience that causes a fire when trying to grill.
Before the big BBQ day, check your grill to make sure everything is working properly. You’ll also want to take the time to learn how to clean its fuel supply or area and the right way to extinguish an out-of-control fire.
Clean and Check
Clean your grill regularly, especially before a big cook out. Grease and fat can build up over time and they can cause your grill to get too hot. Grease is also a big cause of dangerous flame-ups.
If you have a gas grill, you also want to check it for leaks before you turn it on. Take a bottle or small plastic container and mix it with half liquid dish soap and half water. Rub this mixture on your hoses and connections. Turn the gas on with the grill lid open and look at those connections. If you see bubbles, it means there may be a small hole in a hose or that your connections are loose.
Also make sure to properly clean any dishes that were touching raw meat.
Big and Little Extinguishers
To handle any problems with your grill flaring up, get both a fire extinguisher and a spray water bottle.
The spray bottle is great for small fire flares that stay within your grill itself. Spraying the flame with water can calm it down and water typically won’t damage any of your food. The fire extinguisher is to handle any flames that get out of control and prevent you from closing the lid.
Remember to always keep your grill at least 10 feet away from buildings and away from overhanging items such as branches and porch umbrellas.
Stay Open
One big tip to grill safely is to never light your grill with the lid closed. If the lid is closed, gas will build up in your grill and can cause a small explosion when you light the grill and open the lid.
You also want to make sure that your grill is used in an open space. Never use a grill indoors – even a garage with its door open is a significantly dangerous place to have a grill.
The last “open” thought for your grill is to always have open space. Overloading your grill with food, especially those fatty meats, can quickly cause flare-ups as fat, grease and other drippings hit the flame.
Stay With It
Fires double in size every minute. Stepping away from your grill for just a moment gives it the potential to grow beyond your control.
Plan to have all of your prep work completed before the cooking begins and nominate a friend or family member to take over grilling if you need to step away for a phone call, to use the restroom, or for any other reason.
You don’t have to be a grill master to have a great barbecue or party. Just remember to use your head and take the right precautions so you can protect your family and property. Now, get your grill on!
This Blog is sponsored by:
People’s Trust Insurance Company