Grease smoke

[Grousegrove]

Brethren,
I am in the middle of a cook, as usual. Pork ribs and butt today!
So my relatively new Johnson T smoker has a baffle under the cooking grill. when the grease drips on that it smokes. If I keep temps inder 275 ish it’s not too bad but at the outset of this cook, the smoke coming out was smelling like a fast food restaurant rather than wood. I wasn’t happy. I lowered temp.
BUT… any opinions on the flavor that hot grease on a baffle imparts? Does it farq up a smoke ring? Any solutions?

I’m about 4 hours in and just shaved off a bit of an end on the ribs and it was good. So maybe not an issue. But… what do you think?
Matt aka Grousegrove

 

[Inthewoods]

I would assume it acts the same as a reverse flow plate? People seem happy with them.
Johnson T-pits are pretty nice looking.

-D

 

[Grousegrove]

I love my smoker, I’m just still getting used to differences from the very small Brinkman with the firebox on the side. There was never any grease falling onto super hot steel. It fell into the cooking chamber and out the drains. So smoke from grease was not a thing.

Probably nothing to get exercised about but I’m sure others have experience with it. I stopped by a restaurant in Fredericksburg last week the guy was cooking on a Lang (cue music) and his grease hit the baffles too.

 

[Callahan-que]

Your firebox in right under the center of your cooking chamber so yeah the grease dripping down off the meat will burn a little and smell but as long as it doesn't affect the flavor of what you're cooking don't worry about it. I have a Lang reverse flow smoker and it does the same thing and food comes out fantastic.

 

[Grousegrove]

Ribs turned out awesome. No problems.

 

[TheHojo]

I use to have a Johnson Reverse Flow - for some cooks i put a aluminum pan of water on the reverse flow tube underneath the meat

I never had any issues with an off taste from the reverse flow tube - just did the water trick to add a little moisture and keep the pit a little cleaner

Had my Johnson Reverse Flow for almost 10 years - was a great pit

 

[Smokin'Butts]

Nothing to worry about as long as there is not a grease fire. Think old school cinder block pits, drum smokers, etc. The grease falls directly on coals, producing smoke. I personally think it lends a great flavor.

 

[rm41400]

I have a reverse flow and I’m not a big fan of the grease splash up on the lower grate of meat. I haven’t noticed any negative from smoke but anyone dislike the black grease splashing up on the lower grate??

 

[Grousegrove]

Thanks everybody. I’ll try the water pan underneath. That should work well. The water would evaporate quick sitting so close to the baffle. Which might not be a bad thing. I’d had water pans on the sides just out of habit.

In any case the results yesterday were delicious, I needn’t have worried.

 

[mike243]

I thought that was 1 of the reasons folks like the pit barrel smokers? Smokeonk imo

 

[SmoothBoarBBQ]

Thanks everybody. I’ll try the water pan underneath. That should work well. The water would evaporate quick sitting so close to the baffle. Which might not be a bad thing. I’d had water pans on the sides just out of habit.

In any case the results yesterday were delicious, I needn’t have worried.

I wouldn't fuss with a waterpan if the results were delicious. Why mess up a good thing? I was so close to buying a T-Pit from Chad, but both times I ended up going with his normal reverse flow smoker (Ultimate Chargrill Trailer, Medium 6' trailer). The T-Pit is nice in terms of capacity on a smaller footprint but I personally don't feel like the location of the firebox would be comfortable to use.

Do you find yourself having to get on your knees when adding splits / knocking ash off the coals?

 

[Grousegrove]

I wouldn't fuss with a waterpan if the results were delicious. Why mess up a good thing? I was so close to buying a T-Pit from Chad, but both times I ended up going with his normal reverse flow smoker (Ultimate Chargrill Trailer, Medium 6' trailer). The T-Pit is nice in terms of capacity on a smaller footprint but I personally don't feel like the location of the firebox would be comfortable to use.

Do you find yourself having to get on your knees when adding splits / knocking ash off the coals?

Accessing the firebox hasn’t really been an issue for me. One modification I did make underneath - I didn’t want buckets sitting under the drains so I rigged up some mason jars I can screw on and off to catch the grease and keep the dog out of it. Works great. I usually walk around back and take a knee to access those.

 

[HogGrog]

I thought that was 1 of the reasons folks like the pit barrel smokers? Smokeonk imo

Nothing to worry about as long as there is not a grease fire. Think old school cinder block pits, drum smokers, etc. The grease falls directly on coals, producing smoke. I personally think it lends a great flavor.

I don’t cook on a reverse flow but sometimes use a large steel plate in my Assassin 48 placed between coal and the meat. I also cook on drums (PBC and OK Joe Bronco). To me there is a preferred difference in flavor from smoke created by meat drippings hitting the coals versus the smoke produced when drippings hit a hot steel plate on my Assassin. I use a drip pan on the steel plate to prevent it, especially a temps greater than 250 degrees.

For those with a reverse flow offset and a drum smoker - do you taste a difference?