Flare-Ups: What Causes Them and How to Control Them

A flare-up is a grease fire. Fat drips off your food onto the flame or hot coals, ignites, and sends flames licking up around your dinner. A few seconds of that adds a nice char; ten seconds of it coats your food in bitter soot and can burn it black.

The fix is not luck. It is understanding what feeds the fire and setting up your grill so a flare-up has somewhere to go besides your steak. Here is how.

What actually causes a flare-up

Three things feed a flare-up, and all three are about fuel meeting flame.

Dripping fat and grease. This is the main one. Fatty foods like burgers, chicken thighs, and marbled steaks render fat as they cook, and when it hits the fire below, it ignites. The fattier the food, the bigger the risk.

Marinade and oil. Oil-heavy marinades and food dripping with oil do the same thing as fat. Excess oil is just more fuel falling onto the flame.

A dirty grill. Old grease built up on the grates, in the firebox, and in the drip tray is a fuel reservoir waiting for a spark. A grill you have not cleaned in a month flares far more than a clean one.

Notice the pattern: flare-ups are a fuel problem. Control the fuel and you control the flames.

The number one fix: a two-zone fire

If you take one thing from this article, take this. Set up your grill with two zones: a hot direct-heat side and a cooler indirect side with no flame directly under it.

On a charcoal grill, bank all the coals to one side, leaving the other side empty. On a gas grill, light only half the burners. Now you have a hot side to sear on and a safe side with nothing to burn.

When a flare-up starts, you simply slide the food to the cool side and let the flames die with nothing to feed them. This one setup solves 90 percent of flare-up trouble, and it makes you a better cook generally, since you can sear hot and then finish gently.

How to put out a flare-up fast

When flames jump up, act in this order.

Move the food to the indirect side. This is the first and best move: get the food away from the flame immediately.

Close the lid. With the food safe, closing the lid cuts off oxygen and usually smothers the flare-up in a few seconds. On a gas grill, lowering the burners under the flare helps too.

For a gas grill, never use water. Water on a grease fire spreads it and can flash into a fireball. If flames get out of hand, turn off the burners and close the lid; if it is truly out of control, use a fire extinguisher, not the hose.

For a charcoal grill, a light mist works in a pinch. A spray bottle can knock down a small flare on charcoal, but use it sparingly, since it kicks up ash onto your food. Moving the food and closing the lid is still better.

Prevent them before they start

The best flare-up is the one that never happens. A few habits keep them rare.

Trim excess fat. Leave enough for flavor, but cut off thick, loose fat caps and hanging pieces before the food goes on. Less fat dripping means fewer flames.

Pat off excess marinade and oil. Let marinated food drip for a moment and blot it before it hits the grate. Oil belongs on the food in a thin coat, not pooling off it.

Keep the grill clean. Scrape the grates, and empty the drip tray or grease cup regularly. A season of built-up grease is a fire waiting to happen. Clean the firebox out a few times a season.

Do not walk away from fatty food. Burgers and chicken thighs are the classic flare-up foods. Stay at the grill and keep the lid and your tongs ready so you can react in the first two seconds.

A little flame is fine

One thing worth saying: not every flare-up is a disaster. A quick lick of flame as fat hits the coals adds a bit of char and flavor, and that is part of what makes grilled food taste grilled.

The problem is sustained flames, the kind that engulf the food for five or ten seconds and leave it sooty and bitter. Those are what the two-zone setup and the lid are for.

So do not panic at the first flicker. Keep a safe zone ready, watch fatty foods closely, and move the food the moment a flicker becomes a steady flame. Control, not fear, is the goal.