Can My Grill Explode?

I generally replace my weber kettle every 4-5 years. My current one is only entering its third year of service, but it has accumulated a nice 1/4 inch or so of grease/ash on its interior. When I was burning off some of the fat layer on some duck breasts recently, the entire interior of the base was on fire, and as usual, it went out when I covered it. I have read or been told in the past that charcoal grills, specifically webers, can explode if it is hot enough for the interior to flash up when it is covered. I have always assumed that this is urban (suburban?) legend, but do I need to be more careful? I have always used the lid to suffocate flames, but should I be using water. While I think that some nice grill explosion scars might make a good conversation starter, my wife is worried about the kids. -Will

Do not use water! That will cause the grease to aerosolize and ignite into a fire ball. Using the lid to suffocate the flames is the right thing to do. I do not see how a grill could possibly explode. You would have to build up a lot of internal pressure to do that. The lid would pop off before the grill exploded. Even that is unlikely to happen if you have the vents open.

I'm gonna fwd this thread to Mythbusters. I really want to see Jamie blow up a Weber Smoky Mountain.

d4v3 wrote:Do not use water! That will cause the grease to aerosolize and ignite into a fire ball.

Ever noticed how one man's admonition is another man's directions? Just depends on how you look at it.

WillG wrote:I have read or been told in the past that charcoal grills, specifically webers, can explode if it is hot enough for the interior to flash up when it is covered.

Will,

I doubt a Weber charcoal grill can explode, but it most certainly can catch on fire if there is a large amount of grease laden residue.

My suggestion, get yourself a putty knife and bottle of Simple Green all purpose cleaner. Scrap as much of the greasy residue off the cooker with the putty knife as possible, lay on a heavy coat of Simple Green, and let it sit for a couple of hours. Hose everything off, a power washer would come in handy for this, and, if necessary, rinse and repeat.

If there is still stuck on residue go to plan B, which is steel wool and lots of elbow grease.

There is absolutely no reason a Weber Charcoal Kettle Grill can't last 15-years with the most minimal of care.

Enjoy,
Gary

Octarine wrote:I'm gonna fwd this thread to Mythbusters. I really want to see Jamie blow up a Weber Smoky Mountain.

I would love to be an intern for however long it takes Jamie and Adam to build up a layer of duck fat. Especially once they finish the first part of the experiment and move on to the "Well, how much duck fat do we need to get the grill to blow up?" portion.