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[Spartan Smoker]

Tried to repeat my memorial day grand slam and ended up with some significant flare ups (or a down right fire). 

I was thinking i somehow hit the right temperature, humidity and wind combination for the perfect amount of smoke.  During the reverse sear i opened the lid to rotate and it was a ball of fire inside.  Couldn't get it to go out without shutting down the smoker?

Any ideas what causes this?  It would seem with the drip pan and the heat diffuser grease would never get to the flame?  Once it started the fire it was just a ball of flame (to the point it made me nervous). 

I shut her down.  Lets her cool off and cleaned her and i see no damage at all.  So, now just curious?  Any ideas?  Anyone else have it happen?

thanks in advance......

[grilltreats]

Grease/oil will ignite once the flash point is reach for it and it has enough oxygen supply on any type of cooker.  I have not had an issues with mine, but I do pay close attention to the grease in the drip tray and the temps, especially if I want to do a really hot sear.  Glad to hear there were no damages.  That porcelain lid can take a lot from what I have heard thank goodness.

[Ross77]

Check if it’s level. You must have some grease getting past the drip pan. And make sure you clean it after long cooks or food with a lot of fat.

[Canadian John]

 A grease fire for sure.  Most pits w/drip trays can suffer from grease fires if  the tray and drainage channels are restricted or not angled properly..A improperly foiled drip tray can trap grease.. The tray angle

that's too shallow caused by improper installation or the pit being on un even or off level ground can do it too..Too much build-up on the tray as well..The grease may have run off the tray and built-up

underneath leading to the inevitable. .. Then there is the not cleaned recently scenario. 

[Bar-B-Lew]

I have created fires a few times after cooking something greasy low and slow and then cranking up the heat shortly thereafter or even days after if there was buildup of grease dried on the drip pan.  Probably the only negative I have about cooking on pellet grills.

[Bar-B-Lew]

I have created fires a few times after cooking something greasy low and slow and then cranking up the heat shortly thereafter or even days after if there was buildup of grease dried on the drip pan.  Probably the only negative I have about cooking on pellet grills.

These scenarios are not unique to pellet grills in my experience.  My Weber Summit gasser has certainly had a few flare ups where the grease clinging to the very angled drip pan has ignited.  Usually after doing some indirect cooking, like whole chickens, then grilling steaks at high heat directly.

Interesting, I don't recall having those issues with my Summit I had but it was a 2003 or 2004 model.

[BigDave83]

Spartan Smoker do you have a Bullseye? They are to vaporize the grease as it hits. But I read where some others had fires with them also.

[grilltreats]

During the assembly of my RT-700, I didn't put the caster wheels on the right side as the instructions stated.  I put them on the left side instead because I noticed I could raise/adjust the caster wheels just by adjusting the nut portion on the caster bolts CW/CCW to raise or lower the grill for leveling.  This allowed me to raise the left side a little more and get more of a slant towards the drip bucket.  The fixed wheel side can't be adjusted for leveling so they are better on the right side than the left in my view.  The only reason I believe they wanted the casters on the right is because the pull handle is on the right to move the grill around.  I don't move my grill around much, and when I do, the control shelf is strong enough and the left is the side I want to move out away from the wall anyways.

I have been foiling my drip tray to date with heavy duty nonstick grilling foil.  I have the nonstick facing up towards the grates.  I have been removing the drip tray and hitting it with a garden hose when I see a build up of grease on it before a cook at high temps.  The grease washes off nicely and the foil is lasting through quite a few cooks.  Works for me with no scraping or re-foiling very often and no flare ups to date.  I have about 7 or 8 cooks on my current foil.

[LowSlowJoe]

Grease on drip tray + high temperature cooking = grease fire

I don't like to go much above 350F on convention pellet grills with full drip tray in place. Not much worse than food that was on the grill as as significant grease fire occurred

[Mudflap]

What temp did you smoke meat at? How much and how fast did you raise temp for the revers sear?

I revers sear tri tip all the time on my DB. I will smoke at 160-180 then pull meat and then raise temp up to 250 and see how much smoke there is and then raise by 25-50 depending on how much grease smoke I am seeing. Keep raising temp slowly until I am at 450-500 temp before searing.

This all depends on how clean pit was to start with. This also is a good way to pre clean your pit. Just remember to slowly increase temp.

Mudflap

[Spartan Smoker]

Thanks all. 

This helpful.  Here are some additional facts. 

My last smoke was a butt.  very low and very slow.  and very juicy.  I clean it every other smoke generally and i think there was likely some great buildup on the foil.

For my steaks i had two monster cowboys.  Lots of fat in those ribeyes.  225 for two hours and then cranked it to 500.  It was during the crank up i noticed the heavy smoke.  Initially i was thinking how amazing this smoker was and then i realized the chimney looked like an old coal locomotive.  Ha!  Too much. 

Opened the lid about 450 degrees to find a full fire i couldn't put out.  I shut it down and it burned itself out. 

Another new feature i added that may have contributed (will check it out) is a drip container in my bucket.  Looks like a little chinese food container.  I wonder if the flaps actually got in the way some how.  Don't think so but will check.

I cleaned it good and am going with Ribs tomorrow.  Fingers crossed i didn't do any damage!

thanks again for the replies.  I will keep an eye on the drip pan/foil.  I did notice grease right where the heat deflector sits.  It must of been bound there and dripped over there.  Not sure if that was the cause.  There was also dripping on the left side and near the grease port.   

Will investigate.  I didn't realize this could happen as i thought the flame was pretty protected in there.  But, now that i know, i will watch more closely! 

Thanks again!!

[LBTRS]

I've owned and used Traegers, Green Mountain Grills, Yoder, Camp Chef and a Rec Tec. For some reason the Rec Tec is the only pellet grill I ever experienced a grease fire (two of them). One was so bad (while roasting a chicken) that I had to use the fire extinguisher to put it out.

May have just been a coincidence but this thread got me to thinking about it again.

[Ross77]

Grease on the deflector plate ignites or grease on the drip tray?  I haven't had a grease fire yet.  I could see it happening if you have food dripping past the drip tray or if your smoker is not level.

[grilltreats]

I have had my RT up to 490 so far searing some tri-tips on the searing grates and did not have any flare-up issues.  I do not let the grease in the drip tray buildup.

[41magsnub]

Had one fire in my 680, totally my fault due to grease build up.