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A meat thermometer in a steak resting on the side shelf of a grill.

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.

(844) 660-6426

Mon–Sat, 8am–8pm

  • Three guides
  • Read before you book
  • Says where to stop

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or call (844) 660-6426

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
A stainless cart grill standing alone on a stone patio at dusk with its lid closed, orange glow and a thin ribbon of smoke escaping from the gap under the grill's lid, every knob at off and the propane tank valve below closed, patio chairs pushed well back.
6-minute read

A Grease Fire in the Grill: Burners Off, Gas Closed, Lid Down If It Is Safe, Never Water

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.

The front of a stainless built-in grill head set in a stone counter on an empty patio at dusk, the grill's lid raised, a small tongue of blue and orange flame showing in the gap under the grill's control panel beside one knob, the panel or the gas.
6-minute read

Flashback Behind the Grill Knobs: Flame at the Wrong End of the Burner

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.

A stainless gas grill on a sunny patio with its lid open over plain chicken thighs and burgers on the grates, a simple food thermometer with a blank dial pushed into one thigh, a clean empty platter waiting on the grill's side shelf.
5-minute read

Safe Temperatures for Grilled Food: 145°F, 160°F, 165°F and a Food Thermometer

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?

The short answerA 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 answerFlashback 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 answerSafe 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
  1. 01The gas and the grill, checked first
  2. 02What failed, and what it costs
  3. 03Parts on the truck
  4. 04Lit 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
A freestanding stainless gas grill standing alone on a stone patio, tall orange flame and dark smoke rising from under its half-open lid, the cabinet door below closed, a wide clear space of paving all around and nobody near it. Gas or fire at the grill

Grease Fire in the Grill That Won't Die Down

6 causes, cheapest first

 Close view of burgers on the grates of a stainless gas grill with a short burst of yellow flame leaping up between them from dripping fat, smoke curling toward the raised lid, the patio softly blurred behind. Problem

Grill Flare-Ups Every Time Food Hits the Grates

6 causes, cheapest first

 A built-in stainless grill head in a stone island with its lid up, one burner still showing a small blue flame while its knob on the panel points to off, the other burners dark, the cabinet doors below closed. Gas or fire at the grill

Grill Knob Won't Turn Off: Burner Still Lit at Off

6 causes, cheapest first

 Low view of the stainless control panel of a gas grill, a short tongue of orange flame showing in the dark gap below the row of knobs, one knob at the end softened and warped, the cabinet doors below closed. Gas or fire at the grill

Grill Flashback: Flames Behind the Knobs or Under the Panel

6 causes, cheapest first
A family gathered around a grill on a sunny patio.
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
A grill burner with half its ports dark, the flame uneven, seen close.
What the flame is telling you

Common problems

A hand closing the valve of a propane tank under a cart grill.
Safe checks with the gas closed

Troubleshooting

A soft brush clearing the ports of a burner removed from a grill.
Habits that keep a grill lighting clean

Maintenance and prevention

A built-in grill and a cart grill on the same patio.
Built-in or cart, infrared or tube, fix or retire

Choosing and comparing

A tape measure along the space between a grill and a house wall.
Clearances, gas type and where it may stand

Installation and setup

Not sure which section?

Start from your question

The four questions most visits start with, each with the guide that answers it.

18 guidesWhere to start Where to start

Back to your everyday

Let’s get your grill working again.

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