Catching the fat when cooking several butts


 
R

Ryan Ko

TVWBB Super Fan
Anyone doing anything tricky to catch all the fat when they cook several pork butts? I smoked 10 last week and they made one heck of a mess in my cooker. It was even leaking out of the vents. I had thought about using a foil pan under the bottom rack but there isn't room. I have a foiled pan and a foiled saucer. Even the large food service foil isn't large enough to cover the water pan without lapping it. Then the fat and such just runs in between the layers and builds up in the bottom of the pan. If I just have to deal with cleaning it each time, that is fine. Just curious what others are doing. I have 10 more to do this Friday night so I am looking for ideas.
 
Well Ryan, if you're cookin' a bunch of butts, i suppose you will not catch all the drippings...
Butt i've cooked two butts on top and caught every drip/drop... and i used only the foiled waterpan at the time.
Now, I still foil the WP butt also use a foil pan just incase the thinner foil springs a leak.
 
Ryan,

This is what I did before I bought 24 inch foil: use 4 pieces of 18 inch foil and foil each sheet at 90 deg, then make some smaller pieces for side flaps to cover the exposed edges. It is a pain but works, thats why I ordered the 24" pack.
 
Glen,

I have tried several ways of piecing it together and the fat always finds it's way into the pan. Seems like the 24" foil is the way to go. Where do you get yours? I was looking online and it is very expensive!
 
I've been hunting for a 13.5" deep dish pizza pan that will fit in my water pan. I bought a 14" pan, but it's a little too big so I've been using it as a drip tray when I cook on the top rack only. This seems to be the best solution I can come up with, although I haven't really solved it yet. I wish Weber would sell drip pans that fit the water pan.
 
The 24" rolls are available online and also on ebay. They're well worth the cost. They last a long time, plus they work much better at wrapping the meat after cooking.
 
I use 18" foil now and actually just bought a box of it. The 24" is more than double for the same amount. Ouch!
 
I am having this same issue. It's not happening when I cook 2 butts, but when I cook a bunch then the fat finds it way in there. It was so bad on the last cook I had to refoil & wash my saucer. I have tried sealing the 2 pieces together a bunch of ways, but it still leaks.

Nothing you can do about the fat coming out of the vents, it's running down the sides and out the vents. Again, I have same issue.

One day I will get sick of cleaning it and fork out the money for a 24" roll. That roll will be labelled with the price stating anyone that uses it has to give me the cash for a new one!
 
Yes it is expensive, I paid $90 for a 1,000yrd roll. It will last a loooooong time though, and like Ken said: it is much better for wrapping big cuts of meat! I got mine from a food distributor.
 
I am guessing you meant to say 1000 feet not yards. All the ones I have found are either 500' or 1000' and they are about in that price range. I may have to bite the bullet and get some.
 
Ryan.
Do you have a GFS ( Gordon food service ) store around you?
I use the "standard" roll of 18" x 500' for about $18.00.
IIRC they have the 24" "standard " rolls for about $30.00
I know alot of folks like to use the HD foil, but for foiling a pan, standard works just fine IMO.

Tim
 
Yes I have bought some foil from GFS. I used it once and then gave it to my wife for her salon. They use it for foiling hair. It was way to thin, if you sneezed on it, it would tear.
 
Josh.
IIRC= If I Recall Correctly.Its been over a year since the last time I've been at GFS.
That might have been a sale price at that time?

Tim
 
I just checked the GFS site. They only offer 24" x 1000' rolls in HD
Either I misread something last time, or they no longer carry it.

Tim
 
We use the 18" heavy duty foil from Sams.

1.If you're using an 18.5 inch bullet, order a replacement water bowl from brinkman for thier ECB's. It's deeper and will hold more grease.

2. Take 2 sheets of heavy duty foil, long enough to go across and into the bowl. Lay them side by side and in the middle, fold each piece up about 2" in. Fold them over on each other, and then again, until you have no more space, and crease it flat. (hopefully, this makes sense to you) You should now have a seamed piece of foil that shouldn't leak on you.
 
Here's a pic of the pizza pan that I use, with the remnants of a 10 lb. butt. Nothing in the water pan (at leat I hope, there was nothing when I started). It works well if you're only using the top tray, and is much easier to clean than a foiled waterpan.

ea5e6f20.jpg
 
Dang. I fill up my 18.5" wsm all the time, up to five good size butts so far, and have never had a problem like this. Most all of the fat ends up in my ECB charcoal (water) pan.
 
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