The Cooking Myth That Actually Makes Grill Flare-Ups Worse

When you're grilling a high-fat food, such as burgers, flare-ups are hard to avoid. As the fat liquifies, it hits the flames below, causing fire to shoot up through your grill. This can char your meat faster than you'd like, and it can even become a safety hazard. While it's second nature to spray water on flare-ups, it's not a good idea. Adding water to a grease-caused fire doesn't extinguish it — it just moves the flames, and might even make your meat taste like ash.

When you spray water onto a fire caused by grease or oil, the water becomes incredibly hot, and quickly explodes. This can cause fire to spread, resulting in flames that shoot even higher. This isn't just a danger for messing up your food — it's also a danger for you and anyone else around the grill. While water has no business being anywhere near a grease fire, there are some things you can do to help get grease-related grill flare-ups under control.

The key to stopping flare-ups on your grill is to take oxygen away from the flames. If you can, move your food to a cooler area of the grill, such as a warming rack, and close the grill until the flames die down. Once the flames have been tamed, you can place your food back on the grates. If your grill has dampers, you can also try closing them to help the flames die down.

Prevention is also key when it comes to getting the flames on your grill under control. Greasy grill grates can make it more likely to see high-flying flames when you turn on your grill. If you've never replaced them, it's smart to understand how long the grates should last in charcoal and gas grills. Putting in some elbow grease may be necessary, but cleaning off your grill grates with heat before you start scrubbing can cut down on the amount of work you have to do. While grease flare-ups are simply something you have to deal with when grilling, understanding how to get started right and knowing not to use water to put them out can help keep you safe and keep ashy flavors away from your food.