Flare-Ups That Do Not Settle Down

Where does a flare-up end and a grease fire begin?

A flare-up is a burst. Fat and juices land on hot surfaces, flash, and die back within seconds; Viking’s older manual describes exactly that, and its T-Series guide calls some flare-up during grilling normal.

A grease fire keeps going. The flame stays up after the food has moved, grows instead of fading, or burns under the grates where nothing is dripping. It feeds on grease that has collected inside the grill, on the briquettes, in the drip tray or along the way between them, and Viking’s 5 Series guide warns that hot grease can run downward and start a fire. That is a safety problem, not a cooking one.

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What sits under the grates to catch the drippings?

On current 5 Series grills, and on many older Viking models, trays of ceramic briquettes lie between the burners and the grates. The briquettes burn off most of what lands on them in ordinary use. Viking’s older T-Series and S-Series grills use what the manuals call flavor generator plates instead.

Neither burns off everything. Viking’s older manual calls it critical that briquette trays are not left to build up debris over a long period, or flare-up may follow, and the 5 Series guide notes that larger spills may not burn off during normal cooking.

Viking’s answer is heat rather than scraping: trays turned upside down on a cold grill and the burners run on HIGH for the time your own manual gives. Briquettes that crumble, or trays still crusted afterwards, call for replacements.

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Is the drip tray in place, and empty?

Viking’s 5 Series guide is blunt about it: never grill without the drip pan in place, and always push it all the way to the back. The same guide warns that letting grease or liquid collect in the tray creates a fire hazard, and asks for the tray to be cleaned after each use, once the grill has cooled. A tray left half out lets drippings fall where nothing is meant to catch them.

Rain matters here too. A Woodinville grill left uncovered through a wet spell can hold standing water in its tray, and the 5 Series tray has a drain plug for emptying it. Check it before the first fire after a storm.

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Which cooking habits load the grill with fat?

Viking’s older manual is emphatic: trim excess fat from meat and poultry before grilling, go easy on sauces and marinades, and avoid very cheap cuts, which it says tend to carry a lot of fat and water. It saves HIGH mainly for lighting and preheating, and warns that high flames and fatty meats promote flare-ups. The 5 Series guide says much the same about excessively fatty meats and oils.

When a flare-up does start, the T-Series guide’s remedy is a long spatula: move the food to another part of the grill until the flames die down. Viking also asks that water be kept off the infrared searing burner, including to tame flare-ups. And the grill is never left unattended while it cooks.

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What do you do if the fat keeps burning?

Treat it as a fire, not a flare-up.

• Turn every burner knob off.
• Close the gas at the cylinder valve or the supply shut-off, if you can reach it without leaning over or past the flames.
• Step back, and keep everyone else back.
• Do not use water.
• If the fire spreads beyond the grill, or does not die down with the gas off, call 911 from a safe distance.

Afterwards, leave the grill off until it is cold and has been looked at. Viking’s guide says to let hot grease cool before handling it, so the drip tray waits too.

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What does the visit look at after repeated flare-ups or a fire?

The whole grease path, from grate to drip tray: the briquettes or plates for build-up and cracking, the trays and their seating, the drip tray and the way drippings reach it. After a fire, it also covers anything the flames may have touched: the igniter leads, the hose, the valves and the burners themselves.

Every burner is then lit and watched from high to low. Parts and labour for a grill are named only after that look, and the $89 for the visit is subtracted from the bill if the repair goes ahead.

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