The 7 Most Important Safety Tips When Grilling

Grilling food is a wonderful thing, yet not without some risk. Below are some important grilling safety tips to keep the emergency crews away.

1. Propane and charcoal BBQ grills should only be used outdoors: This seems obvious, but what about places like the garage? Does that constitute "indoors" if the garage door is open? Yes. It's advisable to never BBQ in the garage--your insurance company will most certainly frown on it, as well as the fire department.

2. Position the grill carefully: Keep the grill well away from the home, deck railings and out from under the eaves and overhanging branches, lest the heat burns these areas and causes a fire. There are many cases of houses in which the vinyl siding has melted because the grill was too close to the house.

3. Keep children and pets away: This seems like a no-brainer; but being distracted in the heat of the moment can lead one away from the care of children and pets around the grill. If you need something from inside the house, it's better to have someone else bring it out to you, rather than leaving your kids and pets to a flaming BBQ.

4. Keep the grill clean: Grease and fat builds up in the trays below the grill and can cause spread flames that may be difficult to control.

5. Never leave the grill: As with #3, it's easy to get distracted while grilling, such as suddenly wanting to grab that rub or sauce from the pantry, or needing a plate for the burgers while the sausages are still cooking; but again, it's better for someone to bring that out to you rather than leave your grill, in case the fire gets out of control.

6. Let it burn: To get all the gunk build up off the grill during cooking, let the BBQ burn at a high heat for 10 minutes once you've taken the food off--but, again, do not leave it unattended. 

7. Turn gas off first: When shutting off the grill, turn off the propane first, then switch the controls off; this will prevent residual gas from building up in the BBQ. Let it cool down with the lid off, and then brush off the grill to prevent fats and grease from building up and creating unruly flames the next time you cook.