GriLLMaRksRseXy
Well-known member
I have seen a lot of posts on our forum and even more elsewhere about grease fires and the Weber SmokeFire. It something that keeps coming back up over and over again and yet when I really try to dig in and find actual owners that have had grease fires there are very little that have posted about it or discussed it at all. Yes I have seen THE famous Youtube video and I guess the OTHER famous YouTube Video.
What I have seen A LOT of is people deciding not to purchase a SmokeFire and probably just as many deciding to return their unused or used SmokeFire due to the potential risks of a grease fire. I am totally good with that. To each their own. It is a free world and I love the fact we live in that world we can chose what we buy or not for what ever reason. That is not what this post is about. So what is this post about you ask? I want to know who has actually had a REAL grease fire in the SmokeFire. I also want to know who has had a REAL grease fire in ANY outdoor cooker. This is a forum and by definition of a forum it be a place to share our ideas, thoughts and experiences on the subject/products we are having a discussion about so ourselves and others can make educated decisions about what they are buying, cooking, etc.
So whats my ideas and thoughts?
SO what is YOUR Experiences?
What I have seen A LOT of is people deciding not to purchase a SmokeFire and probably just as many deciding to return their unused or used SmokeFire due to the potential risks of a grease fire. I am totally good with that. To each their own. It is a free world and I love the fact we live in that world we can chose what we buy or not for what ever reason. That is not what this post is about. So what is this post about you ask? I want to know who has actually had a REAL grease fire in the SmokeFire. I also want to know who has had a REAL grease fire in ANY outdoor cooker. This is a forum and by definition of a forum it be a place to share our ideas, thoughts and experiences on the subject/products we are having a discussion about so ourselves and others can make educated decisions about what they are buying, cooking, etc.
So whats my ideas and thoughts?
- I like Weber as most of you know but I am honest period and YES the design is flawed for grease mitigation on the SmokeFire. I did not engineer it but if I did did I would have went exactly opposite on the grease ports just for starters.
- If you look at the design of most Weber gassers with flavorizer bars it is very similar around open flames and grease channels and ports. It may not be a wood fire but yes the gasser is still an open flame and that design has been with Weber for a long time. No secret they used this model again. Probably should have changed some things and "stole" some of the engineering of the cookers they bought from competitors when designing it but they did not.
- Whats the definition of a grease fire in a grill? I think A LOT of people that do not have any experience with the SmokeFire (and maybe any grill) are posting about the risk of the SmokeFire having a grease fire are listening to others instead of making their own educated decisions. Simply Put, to me a grease fire is a fire that is caused by ignited cooking grease & fat that has pooled (and may also contain other flammable material such as dust, wood, leaves, charcoal, etc.) that lasts for a sustained period of time that causes extremely high temperatures and flames inside the grill cavity that has the real potential to destroy the food being cooked and damage the cooker. A real grease fire potentially poses a threat to life and property beyond the grill as flames may go beyond the grill and the structural integrity of the grill may fail. Even simpler definition.................IF the lid was closed the whole time and it destroyed my food or more, it was probably a grease fire. If I was opening the lid and saw the fire and close the lid and the fire extinguished before my food was destroyed and my grill was not damaged in anyway then it was not a grease fire.
- So now I just got to ask..............How many has seen a REAL grease fire in their SmokeFire, Videos of a SmokeFire? How many has seen this in another outdoor cooker of any type?
- My thoughts on the videos I have seen? Lets just say I like this forum and everyone here and wish to stay friends with everyone! If I am asked I would be glad to discuss... For now all I will say is there is a bunch of grills shown in one of those videos that have had grease fires from hundreds of users and the other one they really need to watch the video and question how well they applied what they did. It is clear there was some issues there to blame too if they really look at it..........
- Weber Kettles: YEP! had a few. NO damage to grills. Just shut the lid and killed the oxygen supply.
- Genesis: YEP! My oldest one I had a real grease fire with flames shooting out of the vents on a long low and slow cook. Lessons learned.
- Summit: YEP! Once on a low and slow and the other because of my own poor husbandry.
- SmokeFire. Not yet and I have done general clean up just like I always do but I am def. not meticulous and have honestly just kind of let some things go just to see if it may happen. Nothing stupid. Just been purposely lazy. I think it could definitely happen though just like any other grill! I just have not had one happen yet.
- Offset(s): YEP! Full Disclaimer.......All of them I have owned cost less than about $400 each but I have had a few small ones.
- Charbroil/Brinkman: Had one almost burn to the ground we were using for a company cook. Seriously. I removed the propane tank as the paint on the legs of the grill was on fire. I was not the chef, I just saw what was happening on this one.
- Kamodo: YEP! Low and Slow. Shut the lid and killed the Oxygen supply. NO damage to the grill.
SO what is YOUR Experiences?