A Question About the Juice

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dave schiller

Meat Mopper
Original poster
Apr 7, 2017
287
65
Raleigh, NC
I smoked my first brisket a couple of weeks ago.  It turned out well, but what a mess it made in the bottom of the smoker.  It's a typical horizontal offset unit and there was a pool of juice along the bottom, well over a pint.  I removed it and cleaned up the residue.  So what's the best way to eliminate this problem in the future?  I guess I could put a pan under the brisket and hope it doesn't interfere with the flow of heat/smoke coming from the firebox.  Or I could drill a hole in the bottom of the FB at one end and then tilt the smoker so it all runs out, catching it in a small bucket.

Suggestions would be appreciated.
 
Maybe your first modification will be a drain tube. [emoji]128512[/emoji] I never had an offset smoker.. but people do use foil in the cook chamber bottom. and some put in a drain tube.. then you can tilt it a bit maybe and run the liquid out.. or use a scraper thingy. More advise from offset owners is required here.. Lol it's no biggy.. have fun!

,Johnny B
 
Last edited:
Johnny, I think catching all that liquid on foil would be difficult to handle when getting it out.  My thought is to drill a drain hole at one end of the CC (lowest point) and catch the juice in a container.  As you suggested, tilting the smoker would direct most of it to the hole.
 
I just buy a new smoker whenever it's to dirty or put the dog in it to clean it up. [emoji]129299[/emoji]
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Don't waste the juices. Two choices, meat in the pan or drip pan below. Lots of guys use pans in all types of smokers. As above, a pan of beans is a good choice. I put veggies to make Au Jus in a drip pan in the offset l had with no noticable effect on temp or smoke flow. Meat in the pan keeps you from frequent cleaning. A brisket or butt takes several hours. Giving the meat a flip after a few hours gets plenty of smoke on all surfaces...JJ
 
I hate wasting those awesome juices. Whenever I do briskets or butts they get panned to catch all that goodness. I don't pan until the it hits about 165 and the juices really start to flow out of the meat. I usually add a few ounces of dark beer to the pan to mix in with all the juices to add another flavor profile. After I rest pork butts for a couple hours I pull the butts in the same pan with the juices. The meat usually absorbs all the jices in the bottom of the pan. I never have dry pulled pork always juicy.

I also have a drain on my offset. One of the small citronella candle buckets fits under it perfectly to catch any excess grease during cooking.
 
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