Safety First

Equipment Safety

• Always give your barbecue, whether it’s gas or charcoal, enough time to get fully warmed up because there is nothing more frustrating than cooking on a fire that’s too cool!
• To avoid the most common causes of flaring, remove the extra fat from the meat before putting it on the grill, keep your briquets or rocks free of grease by burning them off after every barbecue, and lower the heat setting.
• Keep the lid closed and resist peeking so the temperature inside remains consistent.  The food cooks faster and has a smokier flavour, plus the barbecue uses less gas.
• Clean your grill, inside the lid and body cavity regularly.  Use a wire brush on the grates and a scraper on the others.  Wipe thoroughly.  This prevents your fresh food from being flavoured by the contents of your last barbecue.
• Keep your barbecue on a solid, level surface away from anything that might obstruct the flow of air for combustion and ventilation.
• Ensure the burner throat of the barbecue is free of dust or cobwebs, to prevent a back-up of gas.  Use a pipe cleaner, a wire, or a special Venturi brush to clear out the tubes.
• Always check your burner assembly for corrosion.  Check all your fittings, hose connections and valves for gas leaks using the “soap test”.  Leave the barbecue valve off and the cylinder valve on.  Spray a soapy solution on all fittings and on the host.  If bubbles appear and become bigger or more numerous, this is a sign of a leak.  Repair it before using the barbecue.
• Keep a spray bottle filled with water nearby to extinguish flare-ups and sparks quickly. 
• When you are finished barbecuing, turn off the propane tank and then the control knobs to allow excess gas in the hose to burn off.  Disconnect the grill from the gas tank.
• Store your propane take outdoors.  Propane is compressed to 270 times its original volume and a leaking cylinder can quickly fill an enclosed area, such as a storage shed, with gas.
• Never use explosives like gasoline, kerosene or alcohol to light charcoal.
• To re-start a sluggish charcoal fire, soak two or three briquets in lighter fluid, then add them to the barbecue and light them with a match.
• Light a gas barbecue with the match already burning, and with the lid open, before you turn on the propane.  A leaking or open valve can accumulate propane under the lid and the gas could explode when lit.
  
• Don’t move the barbecue once lit.
• Never use a barbecue indoors or in a garage.  You need sufficient ventilation.
• Store propane containers upright.
• During transport, insert a plastic valve plug in the gas outlet.  Carry the cylinder upright and secured in a well ventilated area (i.e. wedge it on the floor in the back with the window open; or place the cylinder in the trunk, then latch the trunk).
• Don’t keep flammables near the barbecue.
• Though propane gas is not toxic or dangerous in small quantities, a leak in a damaged or cracked hose can send out a stream of flame if ignited.
• Propane is odorless.  A distinctive smell like rotten eggs or boiled cabbage is added for your protection so you can detect leaks.
• The fitting that connects the barbecue hose to the cylinder has a left-hand thread, which means you turn it counter-clockwise to tighten.  If the fitting has an “O” ring, check it frequently and replace if it’s torn, crack, or bent/worn out of its normal circular shape.
• When hooking up a propane cylinder, use a properly fitting wrench, not pliers, to tighten the threaded connection between the regulator and the cylinder valve.
• Before barbecue season starts, clean the lid and basin of grease and debris.  Take out the grill, the rocks, the grate and the burner.  Scrape away the grease with a brass wire brush, a soapy cloth or special barbecue cleansers.
• Unclog tiny holes in the burner with a nail or paper clip, and check the burner assembly for corrosion.  Replace the assembly if it’s badly rusted.
• Propane cylinders must be re-certified every 10 years, which involves replacing the valve assembly.  Check the manufacturing date on the carrying handle.  Propane distributors and some depots can re-certify.
• Don’t try to put out a fat fire with water.  It will only spread the fire.  Use an ABC-type fire extinguisher.
• You can extinguish the vast majority of barbecue fires yourself.  However, if you can’t put out the fire right away without risk, call the fire department.
• If fire has engulfed the gas tank, seek cover immediately.
• Always be sure the bottom tray and grease catch pan is clean and free from debris.

• The importance of food safety cannot be overlooked, particularly when it comes to cooking raw meat, poulry and seafood.
• Wash your hands thoroughly under hot running water with soap before and after handling raw food.
• Do not defrost meat at room temperature or on the counertop.
• Defrost overnight in the refrigerator or under cold running water.
• Never place cooked food on the same platter as raw food.
• Keep hot foods hot and cold foods cold.
• Discard hot foods left at room temperature for more than two hours.
• The only way to know if your food is fully cooked is to use a food thermometer. Colour is not a reliable indicator.