How to deal with flare up when broiling a steak? I was broiling a steak (with the fat on, and I had also lightly coated it with olive oil).

After I had turned it over, about the 2nd minute (before it was done) there was a huge pop and a small flame inside, it appeared a piece of grease exploded out of the steak and hit the element.

I left it about 5 cm away from the element (2") which usually gives a cook I like.  But I'm starting to think the way I'm doing it is possibly a fire hazard.

Is what I'm doing wrong?  Can you cook a steak like that?  What do you do about the flare up and mini explosions?
Broiling a steak is a great way to cook it.  There are a few things you can do to avoid your issue.


No need to oil your steak.  It should have great flavor as is.
To avoid problems with grease under your steak, put it on a wire rack over a 13x9 inch pan (or similar) with 2 inch high walls.  Put 1/2 cup of kosher salt in the pan.  This soaks up grease drips.  America's Test Kitchen's recipe gave me this idea.
Pull the rack out when flipping steak, flipping it away from the element to avoid grease hitting the element.  It might take a bit longer to cook this way, but you'll still get a good crust.