Instant hair removal

[Thumbcocker]

Yesterday, quite by chance, I learned about hair removal. The ingredients were a very hot charcoal grill, venison chops, and olive oil. I had started the charcoal in the grill and left the lid closed to heat up. FWIW I never use lighter fluid of any type on my charcoal. When I went out to check the grill the temperature gauge was pegged over 700 degrees.

Being hungry and figuring I would just cook faster I put the venison chops on the grill. The chops were prepared with meat tenderizer, pepper, garlic powder, and plenty of olive oil. I plopped the chops on the grill, shut the lid and closed the lower and upper air dampers on the grill. After a couple of minutes I decided to flip the meat over. When I opened the lid an orange fireball shot out singing the hair off my left arm, front of my head, and eyebrows. My face and arm were flash burned about like a medium sunburn. Once again I was glad to be a glasses wearer.

My theory is that the hot grill vaporized the olive oil in a low oxygen environment. When I opened the lid oxygen got in and combustion ensued. Adrenal glands got a work out on this one.

The venison chops were delicious.

[D Crockett]

I hope you are all right other than the loss of some hair I had a friend loose a eye that way 30 some years ago so it could of been real bad but I glad it was not the only real question I have how were the chops??? D Crockett

[osteodoc08]

Closing the burner vents caused a backdraft when you opened the lid. Do a YouTube search for backdraft and you’ll see plenty of demonstrations. Glad you’re ok. Chops sound sooo good right now.

[woodbutcher]

Glad to hear that you are ok.Friend almost had that happen to him several years ago.Luckly his brother(a fireman) was there and stopped him from opening the grill.
His brother stood to the side and opened the grill from the side with a stick..If my friends eyes had bugged out any further you could have knocked then off his face with a tennis racquet.
Good luck.Have fun.Be safe.
Leo

[RED BEAR]

Hope your ok. Its amazing the things we learn totally by accident. I have learned a lot over the years.

[lightman]

Glad you were not hurt and that the chops were good! Reminds me, this is steak night and I'll be lighting the grill pretty soon.

[Petrol & Powder]

Experience is a series of non-fatal errors !

Glad you're OK

[MaryB]

When I had the big trailer mounted smoker I had a grease fire flash over like that. When you have 2 gallons of hot pork fat go up it catches your attention! Friend had played with the tongue jack and turned it 2-3 rotations and took it from slightly nose down to slightly firebox down... fat was dripping into the firebox and vaporizing on the hot end. When I open a door on that end to flip the ribs it went poof and blew the other door open 6 inches. Fried my arm with 2nd degree burns but luckily I was standing back when I opened the door.

Stock pic of what it looked like, those doors are 1/4 inch plate steel... so HEAVY

[lefty o]

creating a backdraft at home isnt for the weak at heart.

[smoked turkey]

Thumbcocker I am so glad we can talk about this grilling accident with a little frivolity thrown in. I was not familiar with "back drafts", but it sounds like it could have been a very bad incident. I saw the title to this thread and the first thing I thought of was something like this.."Thumbcocker has overloaded his 44 Old Vaquero" or some such thing as that! Glad you are ok. I know you gave Mrs. Thumbcocker some anxious moments with this.

[DerekP Houston]

yikes! Glad to hear you are ok other than the hair removal.

[robg]

Ouch ,glad you're OK.

[Omega]

Ok, first let me say that I'm glad you're ok, but I had a chuckle at your expense. I have done the same thing and been given the same treatment by my grill in the past:

[MT Gianni]

A long time ago as a young gasman I glanced into a kiln view hole and melted my moustache just from heat. I am glad your OK. Many of the small things we do daily can get us.

[abunaitoo]

Hope your OK.
That is really funny. "Instant hair removal"

[Blackwater]

Congratulations, Thumbcocker! My son had a similar incident a few years back. He got a gas grill, and grew impatient when it didn't light right away. He left the gas on and worked with his extension lighter, and poked the lighter back in and "WHOOF!" He lost some hair on the front and most of his eyebrows. He really looked funny with no eyebrows! The more we forget the basics, the more we have to learn that they really DO matter after all. C'est la' vie?

[Down South]

My hair has been instantly removing itself for years now but it sprouts back out on other parts of my body that shouldn't have hair.

[ShooterAZ]

When I very first started casting I was most unfortunate to experience "instant hair removal". I had a 20 lb Lee pot nicely warmed up and threw in a hunk of parrafin wax to flux with. I was innocently stirring it with my head a tad too close and over the pot, and WHOOF it lit off. Singed my mustache and eyebrows pretty good. The worst part was, my wife witnessed this and thought it was funny. Me...not so much.

[MaryB]

My hair has been instantly removing itself for years now but it sprouts back out on other parts of my body that shouldn't have hair.

Grrr don't remind me, I am getting my grandmothers hair... like one every half inch when she passed away... not that bad but thinning. And I can't take any of the medications that slow or stop it, they all can cause blood clotting and I am Factor V positive, means I clot 10-20 times faster than a normal person. Even with taking the coumadin it is to big of a risk.