How to keep your drippings from co-mingling

bmikiten · Oct 22, 2013

I was showing my Assassin 28 and FEC 100 to my wife and she asked me a question that I could not answer. In fact, I'm not sure that the answer I gave her (after some thought) is really valid. Quite honestly, I've never worried about this.

Q: So, you load Chicken, ribs, pork and Brisket in these things (at different times during the brisket cook) but how do you keep the juices from dripping on each other?

A: Use foil to help divert the juices to one side of the smoker

Q: Does that always work

A: Confused look

Thoughts?

I used different rubs for each of the categories and some don't really go together.

Nordy · Oct 22, 2013

I cook briskets over butts. Some cook butts over briskets... not an issue. These meats are off the pit before ribs and chicken go on... OR... they are foiled before ribs etc. Chicken goes on after ribs are foiled... no co-mingling of chicken with anything...

No "foil drainage systems" needed

Nordy

The_Kapn · Oct 22, 2013

I competed with a FEC 100 for several years.

I cook everything in or over pans/sheets (except ribs), so never a problem with drippings.
And, I had the wonderful pan drippings for finishing sauces. 8)

Also makes cleanup a breeze! 8)

TIM

JayAre · Oct 23, 2013

I cook brisket over brisket and pork over pork..by the time the ribs go on those are wrapped. by the time the chicken goes on the ribs are wrapped...never an issue

Fat Freddy · Oct 23, 2013

I cook on Weber bullets. Brisket over butts, then when ribs go on big meats are foiled. Chicken in foil pan on separate WSM because i cook that at different temp.

BigDaddyJT · Oct 24, 2013

The only way to prevent/minimize this issue, is to cook everything in pans or trays. I cook/compete on a Stumps Stretch So there's plenty of cooking space: Brisket and Butts go on first, brisket (x1) on right side of the top shelf, Butts (x3) on the left side of the middle shelf. Once they're foiled, both meats are put on the top shelf for duration of the cook. Then ribs (x4) go on the middle shelf. Chicken thighs or legs (x12-16) are cooked in pans on the right side of very bottom shelf (hottest part of my pit). Hope this helps, good luck.

early mornin' smokin' · Oct 24, 2013

cook in disposable pans if you're really trying to avoid the drip, but i've never met a meat that didn't benefit from a weeping butt above it. Chicken always goes on the bottom. ALWAYS

Candy Sue · Oct 24, 2013

I used a rib rack (put regular rack or frog mat on top) and slid a foil pan in between. Caught the drippings and could add moisture if I wanted to. That said, pork fat rules as a brisket baste (as long as your rubs work together)! Sheet pans with racks work well to and keep the cooker clean. You do want to leave space around the pans so heat can flow in the cooker.

bmikiten · Oct 24, 2013

early mornin' smokin' said:
cook in disposable pans if you're really trying to avoid the drip, but i've never met a meat that didn't benefit from a weeping butt above it. Chicken always goes on the bottom. ALWAYS

Who doesn't benefit from a weeping butt?

How to keep your drippings from co-mingling

bmikiten

Knows what a fatty is.

Nordy

Knows what a fatty is.

The_Kapn

Moderator Emeritus

JayAre

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Fat Freddy

is Blowin Smoke!

BigDaddyJT

Full Fledged Farker

early mornin' smokin'

is Blowin Smoke!

Candy Sue

is one Smokin' Farker

bmikiten

Knows what a fatty is.

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