Drip Tray

[gw101]

Hey I know I'm blowin' it bein new to this.  Is it a general rule of thumb to add a drip tray into the smoker?  (I just got a masterbuilt).  Maybe I should have joined this site first!  Any way with the chickens I have done twice and they came out great I just let all the grease and juice fall where it wanted to - including onto the chip box and the heating element.  Strikes me that the birds were being "smoked" buy there own juices rather than the wood chips that kind of didn't smoke and smell as good as they did before I put the birds in. ( I added wet chips about an hour in and don't really think they smoked - they didn't resolve to ash just turned in to charcoal in the chip box...)

Any help  in the right direction would be grand - even a swift kick might be helpful!  Thanks much to everybody!

No mention of adding a  cheap foil drip pan like I think I saw here someplace with the smoker instructions... 

Thanks!

 

[SmokinAl]

All you have to do is put foil on the bottom tray, punch a hole where the grease drips out the back, foil the water pan, and use dry chips or chunks. If you want to add a foil pan under the meat your smoking, the drippings will make a good au jus or gravy. 

 

[gw101]

Hey thanks very much - so it is ok to let the drippings fall to the heating element?  And should I not soak the chips before I use them?  Sorry for the lame questions, just want to get it right...

Garry

 

[SmokinAl]

The grease will not fall onto the heating element in a Masterbuilt electric smoker. It will fall on top of the chip box. This is OK. If you have the new MES with the 1200 watt element & the small chip box then there's a chance the chips may catch fire if you don't soak them. There are a lot of guys here with that smoker & Bearcarver really knows what's going on with the new MES. I'm sure he will be along shortly to help you further.

 

[gw101]

Yes that is the smoker I have and the water tray blocks the drip path as well I guess.  I think these doubts came to mine as white smoke poured out and smelled like grease and not the good wood chip smoke.  Thanks so much for your time and help.  Let's see if Bearcarver comes along...  Are the Lakers finished???