OK, first, I’m an idiot.
Second, I accidentally put grease on the contact side of the new brake pads for my wife’s car.
Will they A) stink and smoke for a while and then be OK; or B) kill her in a firey crash?
I’d get new ones.
Don’t gamble. Toss them and buy another set of pads.
How well do you like your wife?
Replace the pads. Alternatively, you can buy brake cleaner that will remove the grease, but considering how much pads cost, you won’t be ahead very much.
You said you put grease on the wrong side of the pad. I assume you intended to put the grease on the other side. Don’t put it there either, that’s a pretty poor idea as well.
I agree wholeheartedly. Use ‘Disc Brake Quiet’. It was made specifically for pad back dressing and will not catch fire.
Or your wife’s car?