With all this talk about grease fires.....

S

Smoker

Guest
....What is the fastest way to douse a grease fire in the pit. I dont care about the food, I just want to get the fire out.

Also, what are the things NOT to do?
 
when I worked in a kitchen 35-40 years ago in high school, the ole chef there used straight salt, handfulls to quelsh a grease fire.Always had a big box of salt on the work table and I saw him put out several nice fires just using salt. Easy to clean up too. Ole Charlie was an old Navy cook, so I figured he knew best.
 
DAMPER DOWN!

Shut down the chimney and the firebox dampers.. (dont forget the drain also). As long as the fire is not to big, it should choke out.

if the fire is to big, or to close to the opening and blowing in, it may keep igniting the grease... move the logs away, or pull one out if u have to.


Only time that happened to me was at a contest, and the trailer was pitched back a little at the wrong angle. I didnt realize the grease was running towards the firebox in the BYC. When Smoker stoked the fire to start setting glaze, the grease caught...we just shut down and it went out.. in a few seconds.. luckily it didnt wreck the chicken in the chamber.
 
Baking soda works well, too. Shutting the dampers and chimney are my usual first response!!
 
First - take a picture for sharing.

Second - put out the fire.
 
I find that spraying them with water works best. It makes the fire burn out real quick!
 
Someone sez...does the smoker always sizzle when cooking and is black smoke better than blue???? open door to confirm what you already know, stupid, stupid, stupid. We have all probably done it, or will someday. Remember that grease is just as dangerous outside as in the kitchen. One would never leave a pot of hot grease on the stove unattended. Thats why I try to keep a cooler of cold refreshments near the cooker at all time. I do find it more difficult during the AZ summers to sit out there on a continual basis. No fires in the Klose,( followed Phil's warning and the pit is sloped toward the drain, away from the fire box) but the Bandera, well lets just say salt will rust steel pretty fast.
 
BrooklynQ said:
I find that spraying them with water works best. It makes the fire burn out real quick!
Click to expand...

Try apple juice, it smells good, kind of like deglazing the pit.
 
uh.. actually, it was apple and cherry juice in that spray bottle.

poof!!!
 
BrooklynQ,

Be carefull of what you tell people, especially since it was hard to tell if you were joking..... Telling people to put out greese fires with water can only lead to one thing.... sizzling skin!
 
i allways keep fire extinguisher handy and water hose for grass fires, which i had this weekend. we need some rain.. dropped one friggin coal and before i could turn on water i have a 3'x3' spot under my firebox ragin grass fire
 
Salt or baking soda if you can't choke off the oxygen with the dampers. Using water to put out a grease fire is bad news, and dangerous. If you got away with it once or twice I'd suggest letting the neighbors cat toss in the next bucket of water.
 
seth711 said:
BrooklynQ,

Be carefull of what you tell people, especially since it was hard to tell if you were joking..... Telling people to put out greese fires with water can only lead to one thing.... sizzling skin!
Click to expand...

Seth

You're right. I hope everyone realizes that I was joking. I just assumed that the brethren all have enough experience with live fire to automatically know I was kidding around.

You should never put out a grease fire with water. Salt, baking soda or sand work very well. Of course a fire extingusher is your best bet, but that usually makes the food in-edible.

Believe me, you should never play with fire. I've seen, all too closely what happens when the fire gets the best of you.

Robert
 
I would think sand would work also if salt or baking soda is not available. Welders gloves are a good idea to have on hand also whether to save the meat or shut the dampers.
 
The big advantgage with salt and soda [especially salt] is that you can usually salvage the meat.
 
Just had this happen to my Ortone. I wasn't even in the same state. The guy that I do ribs with at the restaurant wanted to add an extra night since the ribs keep selling out all the time. He grabbed the pit and had at it. He didn't concern himself with the build up of grease in there, started a fire and went inside to start prepping ribs. Ended up with a monster grease fire. Fried the thermometers, and bubbled the paint off more than a third of the cooker. He is going to pay to fix it, but I don't thibk he realises the cost. To be done properly the pit needs removed from the trailor and sand blasted before repainting.
 
parrothead said:
Just had this happen to my Ortone. I wasn't even in the same state. The guy that I do ribs with at the restaurant wanted to add an extra night since the ribs keep selling out all the time. He grabbed the pit and had at it. He didn't concern himself with the build up of grease in there, started a fire and went inside to start prepping ribs. Ended up with a monster grease fire. Fried the thermometers, and bubbled the paint off more than a third of the cooker. He is going to pay to fix it, but I don't think he realizes the cost. To be done properly the pit needs removed from the trailer and sand blasted before repainting.
Click to expand...

Fark, Greg, that is a bitch. That is that big cooker you got from Rocky, right. It will take a fortune to fix that. Ouch.
 
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