Who’s in charge of the barbecue at your place? If you’re anything like me, you have enough of the indoor cooking all year round so that’s not really a problem to let hubby in charge of the grill once in a while!
There’s nothing quite like spending a summer evening barbecuing with family and friends. But remember, grilling involves fire. Lucky for me, I can trust my King of The Grill on that because he has already been a volunteer firefighter. But if you have any concerned about having a safe BBQ this summer, keep in mind this tips.
Get A Crash Course
We all need to start somewhere, so leave pride aside if you or your husband is a grilling rookies. Ask someone more experienced with grilling food, to give you a lesson before embarking on your first barbecue. Have them run through everything step by step, from turning on and heating the grill, to cleaning the grates, to cooking food over a flame, to plating and then turning off the gas and cutting off the propane supply.
Open The Lid Before Lighting The Grill
Rule number one of gas grills is that your grill’s lid should be open if you’re going to turn on the gas. If you forget this, when it comes time to ignite the burners you’ll hear a loud POP which can be pretty scary, especially if you intended on keeping your eyebrows intact.
Keep Lit Cigarettes And Matches Away From The Propane Tank
Sure, the movies always show guys grilling with cigarettes dangling from their lips. This is probably a bad habit to get into, especially if you’re grilling with gas. So if you feel like lighting up, let it be far away from the flames.
If You Drink, Don’t Grill!
Ok once again it’s the ultra secure mama speaking. Better safe than sorry – house fires have happened because of drunk people getting a strong urge for barbecued chicken at the wrong time. So I strongly recommend that you do not allow people who have been imbibing in alcoholic beverages to cook on the grill unattended (even if its your loved one). There’s always that one guy at the party who’s had a few too many. Luckily, drunk people are easily distracted. So if you see one attempting to cook food on the grill, you can lure him away pretty easily.
Prevent Children And Pets From Hanging Around The Grill When In Use
I guess you probably do the same when you cook indoor. Nothing else to say!
Do Not Pour Cooking Oil Directly Onto Food That Is Being Grilled
This could start a fire. If you want to add a little healthy oil to your grilled veggies, chicken or fish, pack up the food in a neat little foil pouch or a special grilling pan. Drizzle some oil over the top, toss, then cover with the foil and pop onto the grill for some indirect heat.
🍴 Want to try 2 delicious grilled veggies recipes? Click here! 🍆
Baking Soda Is Your Friend
Keep baking soda at the ready in case a grill fire starts. Water is no good for a grill fire. If you see one breaking out, go for the nearest big box of baking soda. It will snuff out the fire instantly. And also…
Have A Fire Exterminator Within Easy Reach
And know how to use it! Even though most people have a fire extinguisher in the general vicinity of their kitchen, probably very few people have actually used one. To do this:
- Pull the pin;
- Aim the hose at the base of the fire;
- Squeeze the handle to release the contents
- Spray the flames until they’re out 🔥
Turn It Off When Not In Use
This is very important, and part of grilling 101. When finished using the grill, be sure that all knobs have been turned off, and that the propane knob has been turned to the Off position as well. Leaking propane poses a fire risk… and you just don’t want your propane running out anyway.
Now that you know how to avoid barbecuing calamities this summer, fire up the grill and enjoy! And feel free to share your favorite recipes. I would love to add them to our summer menu!
Interest to to know how to avoid sunburn this summer? Read last week tip here ☀
