Huge grease fire!!

[gocanes719]

I was cooking 6 12 lb. briskets for my niece's wedding rehearsal dinner next weekend. Had them on since 10 this morning, they were at 150. I was watching the LSU game and I heard my wife screaming. I look out and it looks like the house is burning in the back. I run out and I have smoke everywhere on my pit and the temp gauge is reaching 400. I open it up to a huge grease fire. I put on my gloves and grabbed out the briskets as fast as I could. I burned my hands and face but that's okay. The briskets are all charred on the fat side, the tops look fine. Since they got so hot, I went ahead and knocked off the char and applied some more rub, foiled them and put them in the oven at 225. Do you think this will be okay?

I am really disappointed that this happened. I am hoping I can save them so I am not totally embarrased next weekend at the dinner. There will be 80 people there. I guess I am going to have to weld a lip on my pit so this never happens again. Just my luck.

[WBC]

Hate to tell you, but the WORST thing you can do when there's a grease fire is to open the pit. That gives the fire fuel (air).


If anyone has a grease fire, DO NOT open the pit. Close the vent stacks, and close the firebox vent. The fire will starve itself out, most of the time the meat will still be fine.

[gocanes719]

I didn't know I had a grease fire until I opened it up, then it was too late. I wasn't going to leave the meat in the nasty smoke. My thermometers would have broke if I hadn't opened the doors. It was 400 when I opened it. Soon as I got the meat I choked out the fire. The pit smells bad now, I guess I have to clean it out re-season and start over. I guess I am also going to have to find a solution to the drain problem as well. I have a drain valve but it is in the other end. I have never had a problem but I have never cooked 5 briskets on it at one time so there was more grease.

[DaHorns]

I have a feeling that we will see a couple of those nest week at BBQ for the troops with the amount of briskets and pork that will be being cooked. I'm going to be sure to tilt the nose down a bit and leave the grease valve wide open. I scraped it out a couple weeks ago, so hopefully we will be OK. Glad nobody was badly hurt, those are some harrowing times when you open that lid, I'm guilty of it too.

[gocanes719]

Mine isn't a trailer pit so I have no real way to tilt it. My grease valve was open all day. It isn't a fun experience. I just hope the meat is okay. I had just cleaned the pit and re-seasoned it. The story on my pit is in this thread:
http://forum.texasbbqrub.com/showthread.php?t=32710

[cappy]

Wow! At least you didn't get hurt and you sound like you were able to salvage the briskets.

I remember awhile back when you were asking for feedback or comments on it, I'd noticed it didn't look like it had a lip from the smoke chamber to the firebox to prevent backflow of grease (http://forum.texasbbqrub.com/showpost.php?p=528266&postcount=9).

But I think if you get a good pitch on it and leave the cleanout plug open with a bucket under it you can maybe do without a lip. Try to park it on a slight slope, or maybe get like a 1 inch or so piece of wood under the wheels on the firebox side and chock the wheels good.

But if you have the means to weld a lip in, that definitely sounds like the long-term solution.

[cappy]

By the way, how long were the briskets on the cooker before this happened?

[david brace]

You reacted in a normal fashion and that was to see what was going on. But now you have the unfortunate experience of living through a grease fire and you now know what to do and what NOT to do.

As Firefighters, we like to fight the fire, but as a layman there is no better way to attack that type of fire than to do as Blake said and choke it out. The only drawback in doing this is that it takes a little while, and you're constantly thinking 'Is it over yet?' 'Can I open it up yet?' 'Is the fire out?'

I'm glad to hear you're not badly burned. Please be careful from now on and start teaching others about fire safety.

DB

[gocanes719]

They were on the cooker about 7 hours. I teach fire safety at school. I knew to choke it out, I just wasnt going to ruin $100 of meat. I am embarrased enough, I don't want the meat to be terrible for the rehersal dinner.

[cappy]

They probably had a good amount of smoke, and they were already at 150.

I'd say should be fine to finish in the oven. Not much different than foiling them just a little early and finishing on the pit. They're just getting heat at that point.

With that many briskets of that size, you can probably just slice off the char parts that are too charred, and still be able to slice stuff. Maybe make a little more chopped brisket than normal - but frankly, a lot of people really like chopped brisket sandwiches.

So maybe slice the best and sauce the rest and offer your brisket two ways so people can choose.

[Papa Tom]

Yeah been there, done that and no DB I didn't take pictures.
Glad as heck you weren't badly hurt.

[yakman]

Mine isn't a trailer pit so I have no real way to tilt it.

My pit sits on a concrete slab which happens to slope in a direction that doesn't permit all the grease to flow towards the drain. After one of my first cooks I discovered a fair amount of grease trapped on the end of the cooking chamber near the fire pit. Luckily, Ritch designs his pits to ensure the grease doesn't have easy access to the fire box. Still, I didn't like the idea of grease building up at that end of the pit. If I'm cooking a lot of meat or meat that has a lot of fat I simply use a small hydraulic jack to lift the pit just enough so the grease runs towards the drain. If your pit is on wheels you can build a simple ramp out of wood that you can use to adjust the slope of the pit. Any rate, glad you are okay.

[WBC]

Maybe next time put something under the wheels near the firebox to help make a steeper slope.

[gocanes719]

No doubt. I will have to rig up something. Thanks for all of the advice guys.

[DaHorns]

Mine isn't a trailer pit so I have no real way to tilt it. Sure you can, all you have to do is raise the fire box end up a bit, put a 2x4 flat on the ground under one set of the legs. An instant tilt.

[Woodman]

Canes, I think it it always safe to assume that if you are over 350 and there is smoke pouring out of your pit, you have a grease fire. Nothin to be embarrassed about. I had one last week, and I am a PRO!!!:wink: I was on an incline that the top wind jack could not overcome!.

[gatorpit]

Agree 100 percent with Blake. I have experience many grease fires over the years and have seen even more. Don't open the doors. I have seen trees catch on fire, EZ Ups burn, arms, faces, hair, etc. occur when the door is opened. Just my personal opinion, but a $100 bucks worth of meat ain't worth risking what could have been a very bad ending. With all the grease fires I have experience, choking the pit out will quickly take care of a grease fire and I haven't lost a piece of meat yet due to a grease fire choked out. Lessons learned and hopefully with this experience one was. Lastly, I hope the food wasn't ruined and all enjoyed a happy ending eating Q. :)

[Goat]

I just wasnt going to ruin $100 of meat.

They have more briskets, but more skin on your face, hands, and arms is hard to come by. Be careful.:shock:

[gshayd]

Glad to hear you are okay. Invest in some of those disposable aluminum pans or get somebody to weld you up a larger drain on the bottom and hang a small bucket under it. Drain as needed.

[Oli]

... and another reason you should trim your briskets.

[M38A1]

... and another reason you should trim your briskets.

... or a 2" ball valve on the downward side of the horizontal that stays open frequently.

[gshayd]

... or a 2" ball valve on the downward side of the horizontal that stays open frequently.

:cheers:

[Papa Tom]

... and another reason you should trim your briskets.

That is in fact one of the big reasons why I trim. My small pits don't handle grease all that well.

[david brace]

Kathy thinks I'm crazy when I tell her I wanna go into another burning building...for old time's sake. There's something about fighting a fire...

and another expression that drives her crazy is 'that was a good fire'. 'How could any fire be good?' she asks...

DB

[Papa Tom]

OK that resolves the issue...............Kathy is the sane one.