Catching turkey drippings?

[Illinois Hokie]

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!

[Habanero Smoker]

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.

[Illinois Hokie]

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?

[GusRobin]

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.

[Habanero Smoker]

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.