Four Safety Tips For Your Fourth of July
Hearth, Patio & Barbecue Association Encourages You to Stay Safe on the Most Popular Grilling Day of the Year!
As fireworks light up the night sky, grills will be ablaze in backyards nationwide as many celebrate our country with a favorite American pastime. But remember safety first when you light up your grill this Fourth of July.
“Fourth of July is the most popular grilling day of the year with 63 percent of grill owners planning to grill. With so many American’s barbecuing all their holiday favorites this time of year, it is important do so safely.”
1. Start with a clean scene.
- Give the grill a deep exterior and interior cleaning.
- Dry-scrub the gunk off your grates, burners, and interior surface.
- Wash exterior with soap + water.
- Replace your grease cup.
- Check for rust and replace rusty parts.
2. Perform safety checks.
- Check for leaks by brushing soapy water on your valves, hoses, and connectors. Bubbles indicate leaking gas.
- Check the burners to ensure they are burning evenly. Replace any parts not working correctly.
- Check all parts and levels. Do a walk around inspecting all grill components.
- Check for sneaky spider nests, low propane tanks, and loose screws.
3. Take care along the way.
- Prevent food from sticking by applying a light coat of high-smoking-temperature oil (such as peanut oil or cooking spray) on the grate before turning on the grill.
- For charcoal grills, line the bowl with aluminum foil. After grilling, and once the grill and coals are cool (as a rule of thumb, always allow coals to burn out completely and let ashes cool at least 48 hours before disposing), simply discard the foil with the coals and ash. Then, wash and reline with foil for next time. If you must dispose of coals and ashes before completely cooled, place them in heavy-duty foil and soak with water completely before disposing in a non-combustible container.
- After you use your grill, brush off the cooking grate while it’s still hot.
4. Treat your grill brush safely.
- Grill brushes are like toothbrushes. When you see the bristles beginning to flatten or lose their efficacy, it’s time to replace.
- Avoid leaving grill brushes exposed to the elements when not in use. The rain, sunlight, humidity, snow, etc., can age them prematurely.
- Treat your grill brush just as you would any part of your grill and grilling environment: Follow manufacturers’ instructions and continuously inspect before and after using.