So I was running the grill outside the concession stand on Saturday evening (parental commitment for daughter #2's cheerleading)...
All was going well and I had just removed 9 cheeseburgers and 3 hamburgers off the grill, leaving it empty. I was asked to go inside to get a few bags each of mozzarella sticks and french fries out of the freezer. When I returned, the grill was loaded up with patties, the lid closed, and entire grill was engulfed in flames. Bunch of guys were staring at it when I reached over and shut the gas. The fire continued to roar and another guy and I carfully removed the grease trap underneath with tongs. Eventually we poured table salt all over the inside of the grill and the flames went out. By the time we got the grill back to temperature, my shift was over.
I find that if you don't remove the tray that catches the grease, and clean all the
burnt bar-b-q residue off of the metal, cooking more than 6 hamburgers, is just asking for trouble. once that
grease trap gets saturated with the drippings from the burgers, and it catches fire, eyebrows are in jeopardy.