Should I catch pork shoulder drippings?

In my smoker, I do not collect the drippings...I let them fall into a pan and dispose of them. Letting them drop on th coals causes a lot of flaring.

I do find that I get a lot of juices when I foil without needing to add the drippings....my family doesn't like the drippings as much so I cater to the majority.

Lordkifar said:

In my smoker, I do not collect the drippings...I let them fall into a pan and dispose of them. Letting them drop on th coals causes a lot of flaring.

I do find that I get a lot of juices when I foil without needing to add the drippings....my family doesn't like the drippings as much so I cater to the majority.

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I agree

When I do not foil, I collect the drippings in a pan with a little apple juice. From there, I add them back once I shredded the shoulder.

If I foil it, I don't have to worry about it.

Pan of beans under the pork.

I get enough juice after I foil to "re season".

rickv14623 said:

Pan of beans under the pork.

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Yep!
Did this on Sunday, sort of.
Mixed the drippings into a pot of beans.
Man, some of the best ones I've made.

I have put a pan of beans under my pork butt while cooking with good results.
But a lot of times I will foil my pork butt in a pan at 165 and when I pull it at 205 there is usually about a pint of juice in the bottom of the pan. And I have saved that.

It will make clean-up easier and prevent flare-up and possible temperature spikes, but the choice is yours whether to use a catch pan or not.

PRO-TIP:


SAVE THAT LIQUID PORK GOLD! :becky:
In my catch pan, I'll put:
- Onions, quartered
- Green onions, whole
- Applejuice
- Water
- Spices (use whatever you like)
- Dehydrated peppers, they'll rehydrate in the steambath

When the butt is about 75% finished, I'll put the catch pan in the fridge for an hour or so. The fat rises to the surface and solidifies. I scoop off the bad stuff (I'd like to live longer) and put the "gold" in the food processor to grind up the onions, peppers, etc...
Then, when I'm packaging my zip-lock bags of left-over pulled pork, I put a cup or two of the "liquid gold" in the bag. Not only does this enhance the flavor of the meat, it's harder for the meat to get freezer burnt since it's a solid block of ice, instead of hunks of "dry" meat. Just be sure to get all the air out of the bag. I then lay the bags flat in the freezer, stacked on top of one another.
This helps them to not take up so much space, as opposed to having a bunch of odd shaped bags in the way (granted, that's a bit "OCD") :laugh:

rickv14623 said:

Pan of beans under the pork.

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I do that and sometimes I put some chicken under the pork. get some interesting basting that way.

I am one of the few that doesn't like my butts to look like a meteor, so I pan and wrap them about 3 or 4 hours in when they have a pretty mahogany color to them. When it is done cooking, I let it cool until I can pull (not shred) it, add some more rub and the juices from the pan back in and and gently mix it up. Always tender, juicy, and flavorful. I don't defat the juices, to me that's just more flavor. Others do. Try it both ways and figure out which way you like.

Catch those drippings they are delicious. Catch them and run them through a grease seperator. Mix it with some bbq sauce and sauce your pork with it. I like about 1/3 drippings to 2/3 sauce mix. Trust me you won't regret it. If you don't do this at least once and try it you are missing out.

At least give it a try and if you don't like it don't do it again. I think you may like it.

Do ya breath air:doh:

Rusty Kettle said:

Catch those drippings they are delicious. Catch them and run them through a grease seperator. Mix it with some bbq sauce and sauce your pork with it. I like about 1/3 drippings to 2/3 sauce mix. Trust me you won't regret it. If you don't do this at least once and try it you are missing out.

At least give it a try and if you don't like it don't do it again. I think you may like it.

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That sounds pretty amazing. News to me! :clap2: