Help! Grilling Gurus

[cminmn]

Last night we attempted the Thai Grilled Chicken recipe from the June issue, I think. We've had this before and I really like all the spices. I did cut short the marinating time from 3-8 hours to 2 hours, but o/w followed it verbatim. Well, after 8min or so of grilling, the neighbors were checking to see if our house was on fire!! We have a propane grill, and I admit it could be cleaner, but are we doing something wrong? Is it just the juices dripping onto the fire, especially with the olive oil in the marinade? Does anyone else have this problem? I'm afraid of setting off the neighbor's smoke alarms! The chicken tasted fine though.
Oh, do any of you "precook" your meats in the microwave before grilling to cut down on the "carcinogen" exposure from charring? I read about this in USA Today or somewhere, curious to see if you "experts" recommend it. Thanks!!

[tammy/MN]

i sometimes boil chicken legs & thighs w/ garlic so they aren't so black, i'm not familar w/ that thai recipe, but if you didn't let the marinade drain off before you put it on the grill it will flare up, or if it is too high a flame.

hope this helps, tammy/MN

[Mandy]

It's also helpful to keep a spray bottle of cold water close by when you grill. That way when the juices drip and you get the fire/smoke flare up you just spray a little water on the flame, and you should be fine.
Hope that helps.