Drip pan too small in MES 40?

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killtheotters

Newbie
Original poster
Mar 19, 2015
3
10
La Plata, MD
I just recently purchased the MES 40".  After setting it up it appears to me that the drip pan is never going to hold enough drippings.  Has anyone else found this to be the case?  I'm going to be smoking four pork butts and I'm afraid it's going to make a huge mess if I leave it over night.
 
I have a MES 40 as well and this has not been a issue.Most of the drippings end up in the water bowl.Done a pork butt and 2 racks of ribs and a Fatty Saturday and my drip pan was almost dry.
 
What generation unit is it? The drip pans and water pans a very different between the units. Do you have a sloped drip pan that dumps into the water pan?
 
It's a Gen 2.  Yes, I have a sloped drip pan that dumps into the water pan.  I also read somewhere that I could cook on the top racks and place a tin container on the lower rack to catch most of the drippings.  I am also trying to find a way to keep from having to do a lot of cleaning afterwards.
 
 
It's a Gen 2.  Yes, I have a sloped drip pan that dumps into the water pan.  I also read somewhere that I could cook on the top racks and place a tin container on the lower rack to catch most of the drippings.  I am also trying to find a way to keep from having to do a lot of cleaning afterwards.
I have opted to not place water in my water pan and use that as the drip pan. I cover the sloped drip tray with foil and line the bowl with foil. 2 pork butts will fill the water bowl up about half way with drippings.

If you use a foil pan on the lower rack make sure that it isn't too large as you could block some of the heat.
 
I forgot to mention that I also cover the bottom tray with foil (even though it has a hole in it) and use it as a secondary drip tray. I have never come close to filling up the water bowl and bottom tray with drippings.
 
 
I have opted to not place water in my water pan and use that as the drip pan. I cover the sloped drip tray with foil and line the bowl with foil. 2 pork butts will fill the water bowl up about half way with drippings.

If you use a foil pan on the lower rack make sure that it isn't too large as you could block some of the heat.
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