Grease fires on my Big Green Egg

Alpharetta_EggHead

Got an XL, and I keep mine in the garage because I don't want it to get wet (I know, I probably take better care of it than I do with my kids). Anyways, I roll it out on the driveway to use. It's on a very slight incline.

Smoked 24 burgers on Friday (using second-level rack, too), and I started a grease fire. I saved all but 3 burgers. The true casualties were two Smoke probe thermometers. By the way, I smoke my burgers because my wife likes them Medium Well or Well Done (yuck), and I like them Medium or less, so it's a compromise -- smoking them keeps them very moist.

I smoked four racks of ribs on the main-grate only, and got another grease fire that I snuffed out by shutting the vents.

1. Are these grease fires common?
2. How do you avoid them?
3. Anything I should under the grate to keep the grease from dropping off the deflector plate into the fire?

Thanks and Happy New Year!

littlerascal56

I put 12-15 burgers on foil and smoke them for 1.5 hours, and they come out super juicy (and grease stays on foil). Have never had a grease fire in my egg, but I use drip pans when required.

H12mike

I always use a drip pan covered  with foil on my deflector.  I have never had a fire in six years.

lousubcap

#1. - not common but can happen.

#2. see #3.

#3.  If you are using a heat deflector then place an air-gapped drip pan on it to catch the grease.  You can gap the pan using balled up foil or some hardware nuts etc. 

Last time I had a grease fire was around 2/3's thru a L&S brisket cook.  I had lined the drip pan with foil and somehow created a small channel where some of the fat rendered down into the lump.  Once the fire got there it was "away we go."  Pulled everything and tossed around 10 ice cubes on the fire.  Knocked it down and back to the cook.