I had a bad accident with my smoker this last Wednesday.
What happened was the charcoal went out after just lighting, which is fairly common with the way the firebox on my smoker is setup. We have often resolved this by spraying a little more fluid inside and re-lighting without issue. This time, for some reason(I’m thinking had to be the cheap-o Hy-Vee brand Charcoal Lighter Fluid) it instantly vaporized and shot out a four foot wide six foot tall fireball. I know you’re thinking “you should be careful when re-lighting charcoal”, and I can tell you that we were. But I have never seen that much fire come from such a small amount of accelerant.
Anyways, aside from the second-degree burns on my arms I’m doing okay, I’m very lucky to not have burned my face. I also live just a few blocks from Bergan Mercy and my friend immediately rushed me to the emergency room. They setup an appointment with the Burn Unit at Clarkson Med Center on Friday and I’ll say that was nearly as painful as the burn itself. The burn spe******t ripped all the blisters off and scrubbed it thoroughly and I get to clean it myself a few times a day until my next appointment.
All in all, I guess it’s a life lesson better learned than experienced. I know I’m not doing that again. I hope no one here ever has to go through what I am.
These pictures serve as an example to use extreme caution when cooking with charcoal. Sorry in advance if you are easily grossed out or offended in any way.
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*Edit - Added a spoiler window, so dramatic!
What happened was the charcoal went out after just lighting, which is fairly common with the way the firebox on my smoker is setup. We have often resolved this by spraying a little more fluid inside and re-lighting without issue. This time, for some reason(I’m thinking had to be the cheap-o Hy-Vee brand Charcoal Lighter Fluid) it instantly vaporized and shot out a four foot wide six foot tall fireball. I know you’re thinking “you should be careful when re-lighting charcoal”, and I can tell you that we were. But I have never seen that much fire come from such a small amount of accelerant.
Anyways, aside from the second-degree burns on my arms I’m doing okay, I’m very lucky to not have burned my face. I also live just a few blocks from Bergan Mercy and my friend immediately rushed me to the emergency room. They setup an appointment with the Burn Unit at Clarkson Med Center on Friday and I’ll say that was nearly as painful as the burn itself. The burn spe******t ripped all the blisters off and scrubbed it thoroughly and I get to clean it myself a few times a day until my next appointment.
All in all, I guess it’s a life lesson better learned than experienced. I know I’m not doing that again. I hope no one here ever has to go through what I am.
These pictures serve as an example to use extreme caution when cooking with charcoal. Sorry in advance if you are easily grossed out or offended in any way.
.
.
.
.
.
.
*Edit - Added a spoiler window, so dramatic!
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