Remembering Safety while Grilling

Of all the distinctly American summer time traditions, grilling has to be near the top of the list. Backyard grilling is a longstanding family tradition for many American families, but before they fire up their grills this year and break out their best bbq sauce, families everywhere should strive to remember safety while grilling.

Safety is an important aspect to many different summertime activities, but often those concerns and precautions for safety’s sake end once the activities are finished and the amateur grill master fires up the coals. But this should not be the case.

Grilling safety is, or at least should be, a vital step in having a fun and safe summer meal outdoors. Safely grilling involves multiple points of awareness, but the first and main safety concern for grilling safety should be fire safety.

Fire safety while grilling can be accomplished much in the same way as cooking safely within the home. Just as one would not leave a hot stove top on, or leave food cooking on the stove or in the oven without supervision, so too should a person who is grilling food outside remain with the food at all times while it is being cooked.

A fire extinguisher should be on hand at all times to put out any flames that get out of hand, just like there is a fire extinguisher in most kitchens for this same precaution. But not all fire safety precautions from the kitchen can simply be carried over to the outside grill without additional fire safety measures.

Unlike the kitchen, a grill operates on charcoal or gas lines that feed directly into the grill and therefore will require additional knowledge and safety precautions to operate. Also, because the food on the grill in usually placed directly over the heat source, the chances of a grease fire are grater on an outside grill than they are in the kitchen.

For both of these reasons, additional fire safety precautions should be taken by those who are grilling up their favorite barbeque meal with their best bbq sauce. First, fire safety concerning charcoal grills.

Charcoal grills operate by lighting and heating a grill by lighting charcoal briquettes. These briquettes can get very hot and one of the main dangers is trying to douse already lit charcoal with lighter fluid.

Because they are already lit, the charcoal briquettes will cause the lighter fluid to erupt in a fire ball rather than the slow burning action that the lighter fluid has when lit on cold charcoal. A person who is grilling with a charcoal grill should never reapply lighter fluid to already hot charcoals.

Remembering fire safety while manning a gas grill is equally as important as when a person is using a charcoal grill. Gas fueled grills will require a person to be knowledgeable about how to use their gas canister or tank, how to operate the controls of the grill, and how to clear the lines of any clogs should something become lodged in the gas lines.

By remembering safety at all times while grilling this summer, a family can enjoy their summer fun even after the activities of the day end and the food gets cooking.