It’s that time of year where we begin to take advantage of the weather and start grilling.  It’s very important though to remember a few things when grilling this year.

  1. steaks cooking on the grillYour house is flammable so treat it as such.  I’ve read and seen to many instances where people have had their grills right next to the house and had damage resulting in the melting of the houses siding or worse, the loss of an entire home to a fire.
  2. There are many grills out there that claim to be non-flare, but whenever you have an open flame and grease you are going to get flare up’s that occur.  This also means be very mindful of flammable marinades and dressings….especially olive oil.  So be very mindful of this and don’t get caught off guard.
  3. Make sure you are using the proper length cooking utensils made specifically for your grill.  Many burns occur when grilling because individuals will use a large surface grill, but use shorter length utensils.  When using the shorter utensils to try to flip or turn food on the grill you can over extend your body by leaning in or you tend to lower your arm to the grills surface.  This is a very painful lesson which can be avoided by making sure you have the right utensils.
  4. Now the last piece of advice is for those individuals who wear contacts.  It would be in your best interest to wear glasses when you cook on an open flame.   The heat can cause contacts to dry and fuse to the surface of your eye causing rips and chipping of the lenses.

Now that we have the safety lesson out of the way, please share your favorite barbecue recipes in the comments below.

Now enjoy the grilling season!