--- title: "Gas, fire and food at the grill — Grill Guides" description: "What to do when you smell gas at the grill, when grease catches in the firebox, when flame shows behind the knobs, and how hot grilled meat and poultry must be…" url: "https://bbqgrillrepair.center/guides/safety-and-food/" --- Gas, flame, grease and safe temperatures # Gas, fire and food at the grill guides. What to do when you smell gas at the grill, when grease catches in the firebox, when flame shows behind the knobs, and how hot grilled meat and poultry must be before it is safe to serve. ## Gas, fire and food at the grill, guide by guide. This section is for the moments at the grill when cooking stops and the order of your next few moves matters: fat burning in the firebox long after the burgers came off, a roar and a glow from under the control panel, or a platter of chicken you are no longer sure about. Each guide opens with what to do right away and explains the cause afterward, because that is the order in which you will need it. [All 18 guides](https://bbqgrillrepair.center/guides/) 6-minute read ### [A Grease Fire in the Grill: Burners Off, Gas Closed, Lid Down If It Is Safe, Never Water](https://bbqgrillrepair.center/guides/a-grease-fire-in-the-grill/) How to tell a flare-up from a fire that will not stop, the order of the first moves, when it becomes a 911 call, and what to look over once the grill is cold. 6-minute read ### [Flashback Behind the Grill Knobs: Flame at the Wrong End of the Burner](https://bbqgrillrepair.center/guides/flashback-behind-the-knobs/) Why a web in a venturi tube moves the flame behind the control panel, the sound and signs to know, closing the gas from a safe spot, and keeping the tubes clear. 5-minute read ### [Safe Temperatures for Grilled Food: 145°F, 160°F, 165°F and a Food Thermometer](https://bbqgrillrepair.center/guides/safe-temperatures-for-grilled-food/) USDA's minimum internal temperatures for steaks, burgers, poultry and fish, why a browned crust proves nothing, holding food at 140°F and the 2-hour limit. ## Gas, flame, grease and safe temperatures. The gas and fire steps are taken from what NFPA, USFA and CPSC publish and from the safety pages at the front of the makers' own manuals. They share one shape: burners off and the gas closed at the tank or the shutoff when it can be reached without going near the flame, no water on burning grease, everyone stepping back, and 911 called from a distance once fire leaves the grill. The food guide uses only the figures USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service publishes, and links them on the page: 145°F with a 3-minute rest for steaks, chops and roasts, 160°F for ground meats, 165°F for all poultry, hot food held at 140°F or warmer, and nothing sitting out beyond 2 hours, a limit that shrinks to 1 hour on days hotter than 90°F. Every guide here also marks where the owner's part ends. Closing a tank valve, lowering a lid from the side, keeping an extinguisher handy and reading a food thermometer are yours; gas fittings, valves, orifices, regulators and a hose that has been through a fire belong to a technician, and a flame is never used to hunt for a leak. [Not sure where to start?](https://bbqgrillrepair.center/guides/#start-here) ### The short answer A Grease Fire in the Grill: Burners Off, Gas Closed, Lid Down If It Is Safe, Never Water A grease fire in a grill is burning fat below the grates that keeps going after the food is off. ### The short answer Flashback Behind the Grill Knobs: Flame at the Wrong End of the Burner Gas grill flashback is flame burning at the front of a burner tube, behind the knobs, instead of at the ports under the grates, usually because spiders or insects blocked the venturi. ### The short answer Safe Temperatures for Grilled Food: 145°F, 160°F, 165°F and a Food Thermometer The safe temperatures for grilled food come from USDA FSIS: beef, pork, veal and lamb steaks, chops and roasts at 145°F with a 3-minute rest, ground meats at 160°F, all poultry at 165°F, fish at 145°F, all read on a food thermometer. ## When reading is not enough. If the checks in these guides did not settle it, the visit picks up from there, stop by stop. [What repairs cost](https://bbqgrillrepair.center/cost/) 1. 01 The gas and the grill, checked first 2. 02 What failed, and what it costs 3. 03 Parts on the truck 4. 04 Lit before we leave ## The problems these answer. Each has a page of its own, with the causes in the order worth checking. [All 17 problems](https://bbqgrillrepair.center/problems/) Gas or fire at the grill ### Grease Fire in the Grill That Won't Die Down 6 causes, cheapest first Problem ### Grill Flare-Ups Every Time Food Hits the Grates 6 causes, cheapest first Gas or fire at the grill ### Grill Knob Won't Turn Off: Burner Still Lit at Off 6 causes, cheapest first Gas or fire at the grill ### Grill Flashback: Flames Behind the Knobs or Under the Panel 6 causes, cheapest first For the heart of your home. ## Questions about gas, fire and food at the grill. ### What should I do first when grease catches fire in the grill? Shut the burners and the tank valve or gas shutoff if they can be reached without going near the flame, then lower the lid from the side if it is safe. Never use water; if flame escapes the grill, get everyone back and dial 911. ### What does it mean when flames appear behind the grill knobs? Usually a burner tube blocked by a web or nest, so gas burns at the front of the burner instead of under the grates. Close the gas from a safe spot, step back, and have the burners and valves checked before relighting. ### Where do the food temperatures on these pages come from? From USDA FSIS, which publishes the safe minimum internal temperatures and the 2-hour and 1-hour limits for food left out. We link the pages and add no thresholds of our own. ### When do I call 911 instead of booking a repair? When fire leaves the grill, reaches the tank, keeps growing after the gas is closed, or you cannot shut the gas off safely. A repair visit comes after the fire is out and the grill is cold. ## The other sections. Split by what you are trying to find out rather than by which part of the appliance it concerns. [All guides](https://bbqgrillrepair.center/guides/) What the flame is telling you ### [Common problems](https://bbqgrillrepair.center/guides/common-problems/) - [Grill won't light? Silent igniter, dry burner or a tank that never opened](https://bbqgrillrepair.center/guides/why-a-grill-will-not-light/) - [Yellow flames on a gas grill, and low ones: air, webs and a throttled regulator](https://bbqgrillrepair.center/guides/why-the-flame-burns-low-or-yellow/) - [A grill heating unevenly: one cold stripe, a weak burner or a tilted cart](https://bbqgrillrepair.center/guides/why-one-side-runs-cold/) Safe checks with the gas closed ### [Troubleshooting](https://bbqgrillrepair.center/guides/troubleshooting/) - [Grill troubleshooting in fifteen minutes, with every knob at off](https://bbqgrillrepair.center/guides/grill-checks-before-booking/) - [How to reset the propane regulator when the grill stays lukewarm](https://bbqgrillrepair.center/guides/resetting-the-propane-regulator/) - [The grill rating label: under the drip tray, inside the cart or behind the knobs](https://bbqgrillrepair.center/guides/find-the-grill-rating-label/) Habits that keep a grill lighting clean ### [Maintenance and prevention](https://bbqgrillrepair.center/guides/maintenance-and-prevention/) - [Cleaning Grill Burners and Venturi Tubes with the Gas Off and the Grill Cold](https://bbqgrillrepair.center/guides/cleaning-burners-and-venturi-tubes/) - [Heat Shields, Flavorizer Bars and Briquettes: Cleaning Them and Knowing When They Are Done](https://bbqgrillrepair.center/guides/heat-shields-flavorizer-bars-and-briquettes/) - [Caring for a Pellet Grill: Dry Pellets, a Clear Firepot and a Full Cooldown](https://bbqgrillrepair.center/guides/caring-for-a-pellet-grill/) Built-in or cart, infrared or tube, fix or retire ### [Choosing and comparing](https://bbqgrillrepair.center/guides/choosing-and-comparing/) - [Built-In or Cart Grill: The Island, the Patio and the Day It Needs Service](https://bbqgrillrepair.center/guides/built-in-or-cart-grill/) - [Infrared or Standard Grill Burners: Searing Heat, Preheat and Care](https://bbqgrillrepair.center/guides/infrared-or-standard-burners/) - [Repair or Replace a Grill: Firebox, Manifold and the Parts Still Worth Buying](https://bbqgrillrepair.center/guides/repair-or-replace-a-grill/) Clearances, gas type and where it may stand ### [Installation and setup](https://bbqgrillrepair.center/guides/installation-and-setup/) - [Clearances Around a Grill: Siding, Eaves, Railings and the Built-In Cutout](https://bbqgrillrepair.center/guides/clearances-around-a-grill/) - [Converting a Grill From Propane to Natural Gas: The Maker's Kit and the Gas Technician](https://bbqgrillrepair.center/guides/converting-propane-to-natural-gas/) - [Grills on Balconies and Decks: Fire Codes, Building Rules and Clearances](https://bbqgrillrepair.center/guides/grills-on-balconies-and-decks/) Not sure which section? ### Start from your question The four questions most visits start with, each with the guide that answers it. 18 guides Where to start Where to start --- **[Read on the site: Gas, fire and food at the grill — Grill Guides](https://bbqgrillrepair.center/guides/safety-and-food/)** **[Book a visit with BBQGrillRepair.center](https://bbqgrillrepair.center/schedule/)**