Backdraft

[Idahawk]

I cook hundreds of hotdogs every Saturday for my sons junior tackle football league . I typically roast them in a pan over indirect heat then grill them direct to finish them off with grill marks.  Nothing strange about my set up , coals banked on one side and I run about 275 -300 degrees .

This past Saturday I routinely lifted the lid and was met with a fireball that torched my eyebrows and eyelashes , beard and mustache , it didn't burn me or harm me in any way and happened so fast that I didn't even react . My wife and daughter who were watching said it was a flash of flame that was bright orange and they started laughing at my reaction which was was pretty much Duh,  as I enjoyed the smell of burnt hair !
 
In over 30 years of grilling I've never had anything like this happen so I'm not worried , but I'll likely take an extra step back in future lid lifts
 





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[MrHoss]

Must of been the perfect conditions for that to happen. I like your reaction....probably what I would have done too.

[TheDude]

Ever realize what's coming out the back of the chimney?

[Troy]

Crazy! I've had it something similar happen when grilling bacon.

You cook 100s of hotdogs in a single weber?

[Bob BQ]

Is there a creosote/grease build-up in the bowl? That's the only time I've had something similar happen....

[HoosierKettle]

Sounds like grease flare up. Maybe you changed brands of hot dogs lately?


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[HoosierKettle]

And or grease build up like bob said.  Mass cooking greasy food has a tendency for that


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[kettlebb]

I had one grease fire once. Smoked a pork butt and had drippings run over into the bowl. Next cook, light the chimney and I go inside. Look on the patio and the grill is a big fire ball! Baking soda and a razor after that cook.


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[Travis]

I have never even heard of a backdraft with a kettle. I have with HOT fires in kamados. You must have had a mixture of air, heat and what the hell ever else just right! I think I'll step back an extra inch myself!


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[Idahawk]

Crazy! I've had it something similar happen when grilling bacon.

You cook 100s of hotdogs in a single weber?

I do batches of about 80 at a time in pans with a warming rack so I can stack them . Similar to this



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[swamprb]

You get that on the Big Green Eggs, had it happen a few times to me-its a scary feeling. They come with a warning to "Burp your Egg" - lifting the lid an inch or two a couple times before opening all the way.

Never had it happen with any Weber products.

[greenweb]

You must of had a perfect condition with air, temp., and from what I gather is using fresh Lump Charcoal.  Common on air tight ceramic cookers but not on Weber kettles.

Here is how perfect storm is created. http://www.nakedwhiz.com/flash.htm

[Hell Fire Grill]

 With an ingredients list longer than the one on a bag of KBB (not to mention anything the USDA don't require to be listed) the hot hogs probably produced a little bit of hydrogen or methane gas while they were cooking and....WHOOOSH!

We'll have to get Chris Kimball and Cliff Claven together so we can figure out what actually happened.

[TD]

A static discharge to ignite? Oh, I see flashback wouldn't need it? Was the weather hot and dry? Have had a nice tall blue flame over a small Coleman camp stove, when fresh white gas hit the hot burner upon relighting it.

[Idahawk]

I keep my grills clean but I wonder about this ,I did switch hot dogs because my supplier was out of my standard dogs . I used Nathan's skinless dogs and I wonder if they did produce a bunch of grease ?


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