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Hope you can learn from my mistake

want2yak
want2yak Posts: 3
edited July 2012 in EggHead Forum

Let me set the atmosphere. LBGE, large adjustable rig oval (love it much more than plate setter). Night before the surprise Party for my sons 21st B-day, load the egg with bge lump add hickory chunks light with electric starter. load adjustable rig with stone and drip tray,added oval grate with two 9 lb butts,add extender and oval grate with another 9lb butt. Hook up BBQ guru set temp to 250 make adjustments and wait 15 hrs. Butts look beautiful sorry no pics just have to take my word for it. Removed butts wrapped in foil and put in one of the samsclub bag coolers. Cleaned both grates added more lump to the egg went to the frig and got the ABT,s prepared while the butts were cooking. Filled both grids completely with ABT's set temp for 350 and went about setting up for party. About 30 mins later noticed a heavy smoke comming from the egg and knew the grease was hitting the lump. And here is where things get interesting, put on both cooking mits (purchased at Walmart) opened lid and saw flames grabbed the adj rig and lifted it out and set on tile on table the grease was burning and the flame was gettin higher (did I mention the side of my table with the tile on it sits under the eve of my house) grabbed both racks of ABT's out of the flames and set on brick steps opened the back door and called for my wife but the vaccumme was running made the decision to grab the adjustable rig flames and all off the table and put on patio (concrete) too keep house from catching fire. Went in the kitchen and grabbed a box of salt to put on the flames but the box was almost empty did not help. Called for help again and this time the wife heard me and came running. First thing she did was hand me a full box of salt. Dumped entire box on flames but it did not put all the fire out it did however help still with gloves on grabbed players and picked up the grease tray and drug it out in the yard and poured sand on it. Thank God the fire is finally out.



Now for the things I learned.

1 I will be mounting a fire extinguisher on the side of the table.


2 clean out the grease tray between back to back cooks.


3 Walmart grill gloves are well worth the money. 


4 being able to pull the large adjustable rig out was a plus


As bad as this sounds and believe me the flames at one time were 2 to 3 feet high the only damage sustained during (egganiese fire drill) was my pride the pork was great and the ABT's were a hit.

So hopefully if you read this you can learn from my mistake and not injure your pride or God forbid yourself.

Comments

  • MemphisBBQ
    MemphisBBQ Posts: 92
    Whoa, that sounds like it was not a fun time. Glad your food turned out AND your house isn't damaged.
    IMHO, I would have shut all the vents to put the fire out...BUT, obviously I was not there. I am sure you just wanted the fire out and did what you thought was best at the time.

    Good post! Thanks for sharing.

  • travisstrick
    travisstrick Posts: 5,002
    -1 for not taking pics of grease fire in action.
    Be careful, man! I've got a beverage here.
  • Aviator
    Aviator Posts: 1,757

    Want2yak you need to invest on a GoPro camera. ;)

    Glad you are OK.

    ______________________________________________ 

    Large and Small BGE, Blackstone 36 and a baby black Kub.

    Chattanooga, TN.

     

  • MemphisBBQ
    MemphisBBQ Posts: 92
    I was thinking the same thing, Travis. But then I pictured him running around spouting bad words (like I would do) while yelling for help. 
  • stike
    stike Posts: 15,597
    yikes.  sorry man.  lot of fat from the butts.  i made a similar mistake when cooking some lamb after a ham.  i kept the fat in the drip tray, but when i raised the temps, the flames took off.

    my advice: immediately shut the lower vent, cap the chimney and walk away.

    it will snuff out.

    food might taste ruined from the smoldering fat, but better than you risking a bad burn.


    ed egli avea del cul fatto trombetta -Dante
  • lousubcap
    lousubcap Posts: 32,171
    In the heat of the moment (literally), pics were likely the furthest thing from his mind.  Glad no serious damage.
    Louisville; Rolling smoke in the neighbourhood. # 38 for the win.  Life is too short for light/lite beer!  Seems I'm livin in a transitional period.
  • -1 for not taking pics of grease fire in action.
    :)

    My neighbor is kind of a recluse and she does not cook....at all. Her kids actually cook for themselves (and eat over here a few nights a week). I look out my window Friday PM- 2 fire engines, 2 cop cars, and an ambulance in my yard running into her house. My son said, "i bet she set the house on fire, she is grilling out".

    I run around the back, sure enough, she has flames leaping 8 feet out of her gasser on her covered porch and has the lid wide open running around like a chicken with her head cut off. The 8 firemen pulled a fire extinguisher out and put it out in 5 seconds. No harm no foul.

    Glad it all worked out for you Want2. Sounds like it was in the air this weekend.



     
    Keepin' It Weird in The ATX FBTX
  • want2yak
    want2yak Posts: 3

    Guys in all honesty I new I should have shut the vents but the flames did not create a problem untill I pulled the adjustable rig from the egg. I had a fire extinguiser in the kitchen not 15 feet away and the wife had it in her hand just in case. The key here is I did not panic. and I knew not to put water on it. I am adding a pic of the egg setup so you can see there was no damage but you will also see my concern. The purpose of this post is that if someone else gets themsefs in this position maybe they wont panic and will be able to put the fire out without getting hurt. Good egging everyone and God Bless

    image

  • AleBrewer
    AleBrewer Posts: 555
    edited July 2012
    Reminds me of the first time my wife and I went to use a new wok. I got it very hot on the gas range, poured in some peanut oil, and went to swirl the oil around to coat the wok....well, it caught on fire. My wife started freaking out. I reached into the cabinet next to the stove, pulled out a large sheet pan, and snuffed out the flames. Now, I have smoke filling the kitchen, so I tell the wife to open the back door, so I can get this hot pan outside. She stares at me....like she didn't hear me. So I tell her again, adding an expletive or two. She finally snapped out of it, and the kitchen eventually aired out.

    Glad to hear you didn't get hurt!
  • Skiddymarker
    Skiddymarker Posts: 8,522
    Great story with the best ending, no harm - no foul, everything and everyone is OK. Good advice regarding extinguisher and egg location.

    A few years ago my wife had a whole chicken on the spit of our gasser set to be ready when I got home from work. As I pulled into the driveway she met me wearing my BBQ apron running while down the driveway with a flaming chicken on a spit looking much like an Olympic athlete carrying the Olympic torch. The grease fire scared the hell out of her. Again, no harm no foul, The chicken actually tasted great and remembering this story always gives us a laugh and a smile. Trust your's will do the same. 
    Delta B.C. - Whiskey and steak, because no good story ever started with someone having a salad!
  • probe1957
    probe1957 Posts: 222
    I am glad you were able to save the ABTs.  Lots of prep work goes into those.  Shutting down the Egg, probably what I would have done, might have ruined them.
  • While a fire extinguisher is good, just keep a metal bucket with sand next to your BGE set up.  No maintenance, as in yearly replacement and it will work with just about any fire issue you will have.  

    Good work in keeping a cool head.
  • ccpoulin1
    ccpoulin1 Posts: 390
    Wow!  Glad all is ok.  I do not like leaving my egg alone when cooking, and even sometimes when not in use.  It is a very good listener.....sometimes better than the wife.  What did i do before i had an egg! :))

    "You are who you are when nobody is looking"

  • From someone who has had a house fire from a barbeque....Take care!
  • WickedIsland
    WickedIsland Posts: 153
    Wow!  Glad all is ok.  I do not like leaving my egg alone when cooking, and even sometimes when not in use.  It is a very good listener.....sometimes better than the wife.  What did i do before i had an egg! :))

  • WickedIsland
    WickedIsland Posts: 153

    Want2yak... Glad everything is ok!!!
    ccpoulin1... Crazy isn't it? I had to travel for work for three nights and the hubs missed the egg. I didn't take it with me but it is only a couple of weeks old and I asked him not to touch it while I was gone. We were at a party last weekend and he was talking about the egg like it was our child. We don't have kids, well maybe now we do.
  • ccpoulin1
    ccpoulin1 Posts: 390

    Mine would be in the house if my wife would let me!!!  Right next to the trusty dog!!!

     

    :D

    "You are who you are when nobody is looking"

  • new her so sorry to ask what may appear to be a dumb question but what are ABT's?
  • BYS1981
    BYS1981 Posts: 2,533
    new her so sorry to ask what may appear to be a dumb question but what are ABT's?
    Atomic buffalo turds, aka jalapeno poppers.