Drip pans, what do you use and where/when?


 
R

Robert Dilbert

TVWBB Fan
Is it only necessary to use a drip pan for a pork butt/brisket? What about ribs? How about a chuckie?

Also, do you guys put the meat on the top shelf, and the drip pan on the bottom or do you put the drip pan on the flavorizer bars and put the meat on the bottom rack?

Do you have any favorite drip pans that are not Webers, but still fit really well?
 
I removed the top grate from my SF, maybe one day I’ll cook enough to need it. If I do brisket or pork shoulder I’ll use a drip pan on the flavorizer bars.
I don’t use them for anything else, yeah it gets gunky down there at the bottom but I keep it semi clean. I like to vacuum it every now and then as well.
 
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On my pellet grill I use the top racks to cook on and put a large rimmed sheet pan covered with cheap tin foil on the bottom racks. Makes clean up a breeze. The heat tray on the camp chef under the bottom grates is a real PITA to clean so using the sheet pan with tin foil works great.
 
I use the Weber wet smoke kit x2 on my EX4. I did do some cooks on upper with a pan on main grid, but thought I would like using the main grid for cooking better. They work fine and do give you more space, but I'm not sure any different than cooking on the top shelf. I use these pans for less $ than Weber pans: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B078HPR447/?tag=tvwb-20

I use a pan with anything moderately greasy at < 300 temps. I try to keep as much grease out of the bottom as possible.
 
For brisket or butts, I start naked on the bottom grill. Depending upon the time frame and temp, I may have a pan on the bars for moisture. After either meat hits the stall, I wrap in paper and put in a pan to catch the juice. You may want to add it back to the butt if you take it to 203 to pull.

I have not been impressed cooking on the top grill of the SF. Seems like it cooks on the bottom and not much on the top.
 
I've cooked with meat on the top grate and pan on the bottom grate, bottom grate and pan on the Flavorizer bars, and pan on the bottom grate with meat on one Jerky rack grate sitting on the pan. I mainly use the last option. If I want to add liquid to the pan it's right in front of me. .Here's a pic of option 3. Thanksgiving 2020.JPG
 
When I did a rack of ribs last week I wished I had used a pan as a diffuser; the rub that I had on the bottom of the ribs was somewhat burnt, possibly from when I bumped the pit temp above 300f to set the sauce.

This is not a complaint; it was simply a reminder to me that given the configuration of the SF compared to my other smokers that have drip pans I will need to give thought as to when and why to use a foil pan.
 
BFletcher said:
When I did a rack of ribs last week I wished I had used a pan as a diffuser; the rub that I had on the bottom of the ribs was somewhat burnt, possibly from when I bumped the pit temp above 300f to set the sauce.

This is not a complaint; it was simply a reminder to me that given the configuration of the SF compared to my other smokers that have drip pans I will need to give thought as to when and why to use a foil pan.
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I agree. That big drip pan definitely diffuses the heat.
 
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