Every summer, backyards across the nation see amateur grill masters fire up their grills and go to work slathering their favorite cut of meat with their best bbq sauce. But with all of the fun that can be backyard grilling, it is still vitally important for a family and that amateur grill master to remember safety at all times.
Safety is an important aspect to many different summertime activities, but often those concerns and precautions for safety's sake end once the activities are finished and the amateur grill master fires up the coals. But this should not be the case.
Grilling safety is, or at least should be, a vital step in having a fun and safe summer meal outdoors. Safely grilling involves multiple points of awareness, but the first and main safety concern for grilling safety should be fire safety. Fire safety while grilling can be accomplished much in the same way as cooking safely within the home. Just as one would not leave a hot stove top on, or leave food cooking on the stove or in the oven without supervision, so too should a person who is grilling food outside remain with the food at all times while it is being cooked.
One of the first things that the owner's manual is likely to say is that the grill is intended for outside use only, as almost all grills are. Using grills indoors can promote hazardous situations including the increased risk of fire danger, smoke inhalation, and carbon monoxide poisoning.
Similarly, grills should never be used in poorly ventilated areas, even if those areas are considered outdoors. Such areas with poor ventilation, and therefore pose a serious risk to those who are grilling, include areas such as garages, sheds, enclosed patios, or mostly enclosed gazebos or other free standing backyard structures.
If the grill is operated in enclosed areas, such as in the home or in one of the above areas of poor ventilation, then a distinct possibility of carbon monoxide poisoning could occur. Carbon monoxide is found in nearly all forms of smoke, including smoke from grilling, and is called the silent killer due to its ability to go unnoticed by those it poisons.
Grilling in an open outdoor area with good ventilation will limit and all but eradicate the danger from carbon monoxide or other harmful smoke components. Likewise, grilling outdoors will limit the threat of fire to the home that grills can often create.
Because they are already lit, the charcoal briquettes will cause the lighter fluid to erupt in a fire ball rather than the slow burning action that the lighter fluid has when lit on cold charcoal. A person who is grilling with a charcoal grill should never reapply lighter fluid to already hot charcoals.
Remembering fire safety while manning a gas grill is equally as important as when a person is using a charcoal grill. Gas fueled grills will require a person to be knowledgeable about how to use their gas canister or tank, how to operate the controls of the grill, and how to clear the lines of any clogs should something become lodged in the gas lines.
With these safety tips in mind, a family can enjoy their best bbq sauce, baby back ribs, sizzling steaks, and other grilling favorites all while keeping safe. And a safe day grilling is always the best day grilling.
Safety is an important aspect to many different summertime activities, but often those concerns and precautions for safety's sake end once the activities are finished and the amateur grill master fires up the coals. But this should not be the case.
Grilling safety is, or at least should be, a vital step in having a fun and safe summer meal outdoors. Safely grilling involves multiple points of awareness, but the first and main safety concern for grilling safety should be fire safety. Fire safety while grilling can be accomplished much in the same way as cooking safely within the home. Just as one would not leave a hot stove top on, or leave food cooking on the stove or in the oven without supervision, so too should a person who is grilling food outside remain with the food at all times while it is being cooked.
One of the first things that the owner's manual is likely to say is that the grill is intended for outside use only, as almost all grills are. Using grills indoors can promote hazardous situations including the increased risk of fire danger, smoke inhalation, and carbon monoxide poisoning.
Similarly, grills should never be used in poorly ventilated areas, even if those areas are considered outdoors. Such areas with poor ventilation, and therefore pose a serious risk to those who are grilling, include areas such as garages, sheds, enclosed patios, or mostly enclosed gazebos or other free standing backyard structures.
If the grill is operated in enclosed areas, such as in the home or in one of the above areas of poor ventilation, then a distinct possibility of carbon monoxide poisoning could occur. Carbon monoxide is found in nearly all forms of smoke, including smoke from grilling, and is called the silent killer due to its ability to go unnoticed by those it poisons.
Grilling in an open outdoor area with good ventilation will limit and all but eradicate the danger from carbon monoxide or other harmful smoke components. Likewise, grilling outdoors will limit the threat of fire to the home that grills can often create.
Because they are already lit, the charcoal briquettes will cause the lighter fluid to erupt in a fire ball rather than the slow burning action that the lighter fluid has when lit on cold charcoal. A person who is grilling with a charcoal grill should never reapply lighter fluid to already hot charcoals.
Remembering fire safety while manning a gas grill is equally as important as when a person is using a charcoal grill. Gas fueled grills will require a person to be knowledgeable about how to use their gas canister or tank, how to operate the controls of the grill, and how to clear the lines of any clogs should something become lodged in the gas lines.
With these safety tips in mind, a family can enjoy their best bbq sauce, baby back ribs, sizzling steaks, and other grilling favorites all while keeping safe. And a safe day grilling is always the best day grilling.
About the Author:
Located within a farming town in the West, Western Legends makes 8 savory flavors of the best barbeque sauce around. Each one suited for all your barbecue cookouts--whether you need BBQ sauces for pork or you are planning on making your favorite pulled BBQ chicken. Whatever your needs, these unique sauces provide flavors that surpass every cook's expectations. Give one or all of these BBQ sauces a try and you will agree that there's nothing else like it.