Just a quick question, had anyone caught the drippings from smoking a turkey? I want to use them to make gravy, but I'm worried about putting a pan under the turkey. Will this cause a problem since the pan will be positioned between bird and the smoking bisquettes? And does smoking a bird product enough drippings to be worthwhile catching, since it's at a lower temp than oven roasting?
Thanks in advance!
I have, and found that it is best to put some chicken stock in the pan, or the moisture will evaporate out, and the dripping may burn. I check it occasionally to see if I need to add more. I also found that even it the pan goes dry, and if the drippings are not burnt, you can use chicken stock to deg laze the pan.
Many thanks, Habanaro! About what size of pan did you use? In other words, how much "clearance" around the drip pan do I need for the smoke?
I have done it and the only issue I have run into is if I have brined the turkey. The drippings made the gravy very salty.
I will place the pan one rack beneath the turkey. I usually use a half-size disposable steam pan, because I have a lot of them. If you can find a pan around that size with lower sides that will work better. The lower sides allow the smoke to curl around and under the turkey a little better. I figure if you find a pan about 8x10" will be good. A 9x13" pan will fit on the tray, but it covers up too much area and may restrict smoke and heat flow.