18" WSM Cooker flames shoot out when door opened

[Christopher BBQByTheRiver]

I was cooking ribs on the top rack and was in the final hour or two of the cook. I had filled the water pan about 1/2 full at the start of the cook and did not refill it again during the cook. I opened the door to put more wood chips in and flames came out at me and almost burned me. I have only cooked ribs on this cooker and this is the first time anything like this has happened.

Is there a reason this may have happened so I can keep it from happening again?

Any advice would be appreciated.

 

[ChristopherC]

Weird. Did you have grease from the ribs dripping down the side of the WSM or on the door or did the water pan spill?

 

[Christopher BBQByTheRiver]

Weird. Did you have grease from the ribs dripping down the side of the WSM or on the door or did the water pan spill?

I did not notice any grease dripping or the water pan spilling.

 

[timothy]

Yea I would agree it was grease. You open the door you let oxygen in...
Still weird, I never had that happen, and I do alot of high heat cooks..

 

[Timothy F. Lewis]

I think so as well, had to be some grease somewhere.

 

[Chris Allingham]

How hot was the WSM at the time? Were vents closed? Using an auto temp control device? Using gaskets around the door, lid, etc?

It does sound like an oxygen-deprived grease fire that flashed when the door was opened.

 

[Chris in Louisiana]

Sounds like perhaps the half-pan of water boiled out, grease collected in the pan and flamed when exposed to oxygen.

I once had a clay saucer inside a water pan. Grease dripped, got by the saucer and collected in the pan. I had no idea until during the next cook it started to smoke like crazy. When the saucer came off, a ball of flame erupted.