Hey all. I am putting in (2) 6.5 lbs Pork Shoulders (boneless) tonight.
I have a question for you guys. do any of you use an additional drip pan, say on the next rack down, under your Shoulder / Butts?
The reason I as is, sometimes with very fatty meat, there is so much drippings, that when they bubble up and burn on the V-Tray they can impeed the other drippings from actually going through the middle hole, into the water pan.
They will fill up and overflow through one of the "Smoke Vent Slits" in the V-Tray and miss the water pan all together.
I hope i explained that well enough.
Some people do use a pan, (I don't) and I've seen at least a few posts where the pan tends to block some heat.
I just keep an eye on the V-tray when I rotate racks.
Quote from: FLBentRider on July 16, 2010, 03:03:44 PM... the pan tends to block some heat.
... especially if it's a fairly large pan and even more so if you don't leave an empty rack above it.
I have replaced the "puck water bowl" that comes with the Bradley by using foil pans (9X13 or maybe 11). I also check the drip pan hole when I change water or rotate racks.
The times I have used a drip pan to catch drippings for au jous, I have used foil bowls. I put 2 bowls (or 1 foil bowl plus the original puck water bowl) filled with liquid (beer, wine, apple juice, etc)on the rack below the meat. By using 2 bowls instead of 1 large pan, they don't block heat like the large pan would, but still manage to catch a lot of drippings.
Note to self in forty five minutes check the V-Tray to insure proper drainage!
When you smoke large amounts of meats, especially that are coated with rubs that have plenty of sugar, there will be build up on the "V" tray (drip tray). Keep a 2" wide metal putty knife nearby and an empty food can. When you change the water, or when you rotate racks use the putty knife to scrape off the build up and use the can as a trash receptacle. If you are using the bottom rack position you will need to remove the meat from the smoker to scrape the tray. It may sound like a pain, but this step is fast, and the buildup scrapes off easily when it is hot.
They have you covered Mr. B. I used a second pan for drippings once and it really added to the cook time due to heat blockage.
You could always use the Texas crutch. Which is after the smoke period pull the butt and double wrap in foil and put it back in the smoker for the remainder of the cook. then after you pull you can dump the juices back over the meat. or let it cool remove the fats off the top and save (freeze) the juice to be used for an injection at a later date.
Thanks guys. I did not use an additional pan. After about 6-7 hours I used a little pointed spade/shovel and just scraped the build up right into the hole and into the Drip pan. Then just tossed and replaced the water/Apple Juice in the drip pan. Worked great.
I forgot to bring my camera to the office today. I will post pics tomorrow.
Sometimes I use an extra drip pan just because I am trying to keep things moist. In the case of pork butt that is usually not a problem. I sometimes also use an extra drip pan just to add a little flavor, steaming apple juice, beer, etc. under the meat doesn't hurt in a long smoke. I get rushed sometimes and don't do things like I would prefer but low and slow are the bywords here and the extra moisture can be nice over extended times.
I put another pan filled with beer underneath the butts after the smoke phase. I catch the drippings in this and then when I pull to FTC I set those to the side and let them cool. After they've cooled I scoop off the fat and add that back to the pulled pork.