Not sure I understand your question. Why would you want to spray water on meat that is grilling? Just use tongs to move the meat to another "flame" free spot on the grill.

It is best to trim excess fat so flares up are not a big problem.

~Ann

grease from burgers, sausages, etc. can drip on charcoals causing flare ups

I spray apple juice, as well as other mixtures.

That is to control flare ups as well as having the apple juice to add smoky flavor on the meat as it gets burnt by the fire.

dcarch

I've seen suggestions that recommend spraying apple juice, wine, brandy etc.. flavoured with herbs, garlic, etc... for seasoning the meat, but not for putting out flames.

If you are getting a lot of flare ups, just move the meat to another spot.

Also be careful when spraying over a charcoal grill. You do not want the ashes disturbed and have them spread around on to the food.

~Ann

I would not use apple juice to put out a vigorous conflagration. I use it to control the fire before it incinerates the food.

It does work and it adds flavor.

There used to be a product called Grate Chef Flare Down which can be used. I am not sure if they still make it.

dcarch

Welcome to the cooking forum tman!

And for heavens sake, don't spray brandy on the flames or the house may go up too.

I just use plain water in a spray bottle to bring them down. If you are using charcoal, make sure it is a heavy mist spray and not a stream. The air will stir up the ashes with the stream.

If your grill is large enough, have one area without charcoal or the gas burner on. Smaller grills may not give you the luxury though.

Happy grilling!

If you put a lid on it, it will not flare up. I keep everything mostly covered when grilling, and that allows me to control the heat and makes the fire last longer. I also find that the lid helps keep the food moister and gives it more of a smokey flavor. I cannot think of anything that I grill with the lid off except for chilies, and that's because they cook so fast. I put them in grill boxes before putting them on the fire, and I can cover them for a minute or two, but then I have to turn them. Mushrooms cook fairly quickly also, but not as fast as chilies.

What have you been cooking on the grill? I like to make grilled garlic toast, and that also cooks quickly, and so I try to put it on a cooler edge of the grill. Last week-end we made smoked chicken breasts, but we made those in the smoker instead of on the grill. I have found that chilies do not cook well in the smoker, unfortunately, because I had some I wanted to smoke/grill.

Lars

Lars, I have to disagree with you. Sorry. Even with the lid down, there can be flare ups. I know, because I have had them. Flare ups are caused by fat dripping on to the coals or the burners on a gas grill. I usually trim any excess fat, to reduce flare ups, but they can still happen.

~Ann

"Lars, I have to disagree with you. Sorry. Even with the lid down, there can be flare ups. ---"

Yes and no. It all depends on the design of the appliance. If the volume is small, and the cover and the vents are tight, there will not be enough oxygen to support combustion.

I grill mostly with the cover open, because I like a little flare up to char the food.

I have the most unconventional smoker, which allows me to cold smoke cheese and salmon, in any hot weather or cold weather. My smoker also works indoors without smoking up my house.

dcarch

I do not use a gas grill - I was talking about grilling over charcoal, and the OP mentioned that he was using charcoal. Covering a charcoal fire will put it out very quickly, especially if the bottom vents are closed, and so it is important not to leave it completely closed for too long. On a gas grill, you can always turn off the gas, or turn it down, I would think.

Lars

Have to agree that lid down does NOT mean no flare ups! years ago, had 2 cute chickens cooking on grill. After a quick sear, cooked over indirect heat. Took longer, hadda shift from side to side and turn fire on/off under them, but took NO "baby sitting".

Started bragging that they were THE most perfect chickens you'd ever seen, when maybe 15-20 minutes from table. I lifted lid of gas grill... et VOILA... they were TOTALLY BLACK!! BIL was LITERALLY rolling on lawn. I was truning red and whacking at birds with BBQ tools. Luckily, almost all of the char came off and chicken was fine... but heard about the "perfect" chickens for a LONG time!

Here's what we do. The pan and grill underneath the chicken are cast iron (yes, in need of cleaning but there's a lot of flavor in there). That keeps the chicken (in this case)/sausage off the direct flame, but you still get the flavor and the grill marks. The pan catches the grease so no flare-ups. It does take a bit longer to cook, but the inside of the meat is tender and juicy without the outside being a crispy critter. Takes a bit of practice (like everything else), but it's delicious.

Lidded most definitely does not guarantee no flare-ups in my experience! LOL Nope, don't agree with that one at all with the exception of indirect cooking of course.

I always just used plain water in a spray bottle to control it. Then move the food around. You want some flaring at times but controlled. The best thing is to keep the flaring to a minimum.