The night my brisket caught fire at 2am and I had to think fast

I was down in Austin last summer doing a backyard cook for a buddy's 40th, and around 2 in the morning my offset smoker flared up bad. Grease from the drippings hit some ash buildup under the firebox and whoosh - 20 foot flames shooting up, scaring the neighbors. I had to grab a garden hose and spray the ground around it since I didn't want to blast the coals directly, and then I pulled the brisket out and finished it in my truck's tailgate oven setup with hot coals in a cast iron pan. Has anyone else had a grease fire wreck a late night cook? How'd you handle it?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_wendy17d ago

bro that tailgate oven move is legendary. I had a similar blowup last year doing a pork butt overnight, grease fire shot up and torched my whole rub crust. My dumb ass blasted the coals with a hose and basically made a steam volcano, covered in ash for the rest of the night. Best thing I've found is keep a metal baking sheet nearby to smother the firebox intake if it flares up, cuts the oxygen quick. Also started putting a foil drip pan under the grates way before the cook starts, catches all the fat before it hits the ash. Saved me twice since then.

young.emma17d ago

Classic rookie move with the hose, learned that one the hard way myself. The baking sheet trick is solid @the_wendy, I keep a pizza stone within arm's reach for the same reason. Foil drip pan is probably the best $3 you'll ever spend on a cook.