There’s nothing more frustrating than a grill that smokes. It takes away from the enjoyment of your meal, and it can be tough to figure out exactly what’s causing it. That said, some causes of excessive smoke are easier to troubleshoot than others.
In this article, we will answer your question: Why does my gas grill smoke so much?
Things that cause grill smoke
Excessive Grease
Grease can cause your grill to smoke in two ways. First, it’ll just sit on top of the grates and drip into your food if it’s not hot enough. And second, if you’re cooking a slice of fatty meat and leave them on too long, it’ll burn and melt onto the grate. This will smoke up your whole backyard!
If you don’t have an infrared thermometer to check that the temperature is right, use this rule: The hotter air gets above food particles (whether fat or flour), the more likely they are to catch fire–so keep everything moving across those super-hot bars! If grease is dripping onto your coals or flares up while grilling meat outside over an open flame.
You’re Cooking Too Much Meat At Once
There’s a reason you don’t have to cook as many burgers for your family when you’re using a gas grill. If you try to cook too much food at once, it will probably result in some smoke. The good news is that there’s a simple solution: just make sure that you’re only cooking what can fit on your grill at once.
It’s important to remember that not all meats are the same size and shape, so cutting them into small pieces before putting them on the grill can help get around this problem. You can also use skewers or place smaller cuts of meat on top of larger ones (for example, placing steak pieces between chicken thighs).
Using the Wrong Cleaning Chemicals
The first thing you want to do when cleaning your gas grill is to make sure that it is completely cool because if the grill is still hot and you use something like ammonia or bleach on it, then it can cause some severe damage.
Now let’s move on to what not to use when cleaning a gas grill to avoid smoke:
Don’t use harsh chemicals such as ammonia-based cleaners or chlorine-based cleaners. These types of chemicals are too harsh for most grills and could cause damage over time. Even though they may get the job done faster, they will also likely cause corrosion in the long run.
Don’t use steel wool or steel scrubbers because they can scratch up the surface of your grill and lead to rusting over time (or maybe even worse). Instead, try using soft brushes that won’t scratch up your grates too much while still getting all those food particles off without damaging them too badly!
You’re Using Too Much Lighter Fluid
If you’re having trouble with your gas grill, the chance is that you’re using too much lighter fluid. To avoid this problem, make sure to use only a small amount of lighter fluid when lighting the grill.
In fact, it’s best to only use a single squirt of lighter fluid in order to save on costs and prevent excess smoke from being produced. If you do need more than one squirt, try using a high-quality lighter fluid (like Colibri) instead of something cheaper like Ronsonol or Zippo.
Insufficient Airflow
If your grill smokes, it is likely due to insufficient airflow. This can be caused by a variety of reasons, including but not limited to:
- A clogged air vent
- An inoperable door
- Too much food being cooked at once (especially if you’re grilling several different types of meat)
If you’re cooking on a gas grill, open the lid and make sure that the vents are properly positioned. If they aren’t, move them so that they provide proper ventilation. You should also check any other parts of the grill for obstructions—if there’s food stuck in between two grates or something similar, use tongs or pliers to remove the obstruction before proceeding with cooking.
Something Else Was In The Grill When It Ignited
It’s not uncommon for the fire to flare up when you first turn the grill on. You may have seen this happen before and not thought much of it—after all, how dangerous could it be? But if your grill smoke detector goes off while you’re grilling, or if you notice that some food has been singed by flames (or worse), then something else was in the grill when it ignited.
It’s important to note that this applies to charcoal grills and propane ones: both types require constant supervision and should never be left unattended. If something catches fire inside your barbecue during use, don’t try to put it out yourself! Instead, wait until the flame has died down completely before removing any food from the smoker.
The Grill Is Too Close To Something Else
The simplest cause of excessive smoke is that your grill is too close to something else. The minimum distance between a gas grill and anything flammable should be 10 feet; the minimum distance between a gas grill and any building or structure should be 3 feet, and the minimum distance between a gas grill and any tree or bush should be 3 feet as well.
Excessive Charcoal
If your grill is producing a lot of smoke, the first thing to check is that you’re using enough charcoal. This can be tricky if your grill has small space for coals. If this sounds like you, try one of two things:
- Use a charcoal chimney. This is an upside-down metal cylinder with holes at the bottom and top (like a wok). You fill it with briquettes and newspaper and light the paper in order to get hot coals going in no time flat!
- Use a charcoal starter like Kingsford Competition Briquette Starter or Weber Lighter Cubes. These products work by producing oxygen from something flammable that’s inside them—so all you have to do is light them up, wait for them to burn out, and then dump out their ashes onto your pile of unlit briquettes (or whatever fuel source you’re using).
Low-Quality Fuel
A low-quality fuel can cause your gas grill to smoke more than usual. There are three main components of gasoline: octane, aromatic hydrocarbons, and olefins. The octane rating measures how well the fuel burns in an engine; the aromatic hydrocarbon content describes how much of a certain chemical compound is present, and olefin content represents the percentage of hydrocarbon chains that have double bonds between carbon atoms.
The best quality fuels have higher levels of octane and fewer aromatic compounds (which can cause incomplete combustion) but lower levels of olefins (which promote soot). The ideal ratio is 90 parts per million (ppm) for aromatics and 15 ppm for olefins.
Conclusion
If you’ve ever cooked a large amount of food at once, there’s a good chance that your grill has run into some trouble. Grease is one of the most common causes of smoking in gas grills, and it can cause all kinds of issues in your cooking process. With that in mind, we hope you can now confidently identify the cause of your smoking problem and solve it.