On Sep 10, 9:10 pm, JimnGin > wrote:
> I grilled burgers tonight on my Char-Griller over Royal Oak and apple
> chips. They were a mixture of ground chuck and ground lamb (I'd have
> to say that Chuck squealed louder when I ground him than the lamb
> did!), with just a little more lamb than chuck. I added crumbled feta
> cheese to them before grilling. Once done, I toasted the buns in the
> grill, and production began. One side of the bun got tzatziki sauce,
> and the other side got olive tapenade. Each burger then got lettuce,
> and a slice each of tomato, red onion, and avocado. They turned out
> great- the best burgers I've ever made, or eaten! I had one problem,
> however. While grilling the burgers, the instant I opened the lid, the
> grill flamed up, with flames shooting almost a foot high. I kept
> putting them out with water, only to have them start up again the next
> time I opened the lid. I opened the lid only to turn the burgers once,
> and then to toast the buns. Even after the burgers were done, and off
> to the other side, the flames continued. I suspect that the culprit
> was the ground lamb, as I've never had this problem on this scale,
> since first using my Char-Griller in May of '05. Any ideas, as to why
> the grill flamed so badly? Has anyone else grilled ground lamb, and if
> so, did you have the same problem? What do you suggest to solve the
> flame-ups? I closed the lid as soon as I flipped the burgers, and put
> the buns on.
>
> Thanks, I appreciate your help!
>
> JimnGin

JimnGin:
Could be any one of the following:
The lamb was exceptionally fatty, try using a leaner cut.
The fire was too hot. Ease up on the charcoal.
Wood chips have a tendency to flame, not smoke. Bag the wood chips
and use a large chunk or two which has been soaked in water and placed
on the perimeter of your fire. You don't need any flaming chips on
the fire; all it needs is fat to begin the inferno.
Forget about using water to douse the flames; it'll stir up steamy ash
and land on your food. If your Char-Griller has one, close the damper
of the air intake to dampen the fire. As you did, make sure you have
a spot of indirect heat, so as to not feed the fire with dripping
fat.

The concept sounds delightful, especially the tapenade on the burger.
Good luck on your next attempt.

Pierre