# Nasty Grease Fire



## melleram (Aug 28, 2009)

I busted out the Char-Griller the other day to do some actual grilling instead of smoking.  I usually grill burgers, brats and the such on my gas grill, so the char-giller hadnt had a fire in the top section for quite some time.  Well over the last year or so I've done lots of offset smokes so there was a bunch of black sticky grease in the bottom of the grill. 

When I lit my coals in the grill section, i ended up with a nice hot grease fire... complete with stinking thick black smoke.  I just let it burn out for a while and eventually it burned up all the residue.  Its clean as a whistle now...So I think this will become a maintenance procedure for my offset smoker. just light some coals up top and let it burn clean....It also helped get the grill grates clean too, it burned off all the stuck on junk.


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## yodelhawk (Aug 28, 2009)

That is how I clean my grates. Just be sure that the darn thing does not get out of hand. A little fire and a good wire brush and you are set. Hope the chow was good.


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## geek with fire (Aug 28, 2009)

Crisco works well too.  And, it doesn't stink as much.


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## richoso1 (Aug 28, 2009)

If the stuff isn't caked on too thick, I use a bunched up piece of aluminum foil as it scrapes pretty well. Keeps my racks clean, but I don't let them go too long without the scraping.


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## pepeskitty (Aug 28, 2009)

If you let it go too long and need to get it cleaned up.  I put ours in a large utility sink with some soap and hot water and let them set for hours.  After all that they just wipe right off.  If you have a large sink that is.. if not maybe a wash tub.  It does make a little black in the sink but it cleans up pretty easy.


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## rivet (Aug 28, 2009)

You learned the hard way, but it's a great method. Take a look at this tutorial on just that kind of way.

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/for...grill+cleaning


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## jirodriguez (Aug 28, 2009)

Very easy way to avoid the thick build up.... buy the large industrial roll of Costco tinfoil. Pull of 3 pieces of foil that are about 4 ft. long, first one goes in the very bottom of the chargriller (lenghtwise) gently form up the sides and crimp to edges to hold it, repeat with the other two pieces to cover the front and rear parts of the body interior. Just make sure the side pieces overlap the lower piece. Then after a smoke all your grease and gunk are in the tinfoil! One it is cooled, roll it up and toss it away, might have a very small amount of leakage that requires a paper towel to wipe up, but that's it.


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## mballi3011 (Aug 28, 2009)

Thats a good way rivet. I clean my stuff every spring and reload the lava rocks and make repairs. All my grills and smokers are gassers so I just fire them up hot and then scape the grates and then hit them with a cloth with oil on it and wipe them down each time.


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## cuclimber (Aug 29, 2009)

DONNY YOU'RE OUT OF YOUR ELEMENT!!!


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## scarbelly (Aug 29, 2009)

I just keep a BBQ brush next to the grill - after every use I turn off the burners and run the brush over the grill where the food was- this was taught to me by a guy that worked at BBQ galore and I have grills that are 10 years old and still in good shape


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## bluefrog (Aug 29, 2009)

I have a GRILL DADDY that works great.  I was doubtful that it wold really work but a friend highly recomended it and it does work.  If you are not familer with the "Grill Daddy" it is a wire brush that has a hollow handle that you fill with water.  You heat up the dirty grills and when hot open the valve on the "Grill Daddy" and scrub the steam really cleans the grates.

Scott


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