Using Pan and Juices

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BrianGSDTexoma

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That pan thread has me thinking. I like having juices to do what ever with. I normally put things in a pan with a rack and add some water than foil top around 165. I end up with a pan full of juices for gravy, beans or what ever. I have tried using pan under meat and don't end up with much. Now is that meat losing juice vs not wrapping or just evaporating? I guess I am basicly steaming the meat doing this. I tried butcher paper on a butt last week and not much juice. I about ruined it due to bad smoke but that was due to the controller I was using on my wsm. Guess I am just trying to wrap my head around this. Been doing this BBQ for many years now and still feel like a rookie sometimes.
 
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That pan thread has me thinking. I like having juices to do what ever with. I normally put things in a pan with a rack and add some water than foil top around 165. I end up with a pan full of juices for gravy, beans or what ever. I have tried using pan under meat and don't end up with much. Now is that meat losing juice vs not wrapping or just evaporating? I guess I am basicly steaming the meat doing this. I tried butcher paper on a butt last week and not much juice. I about ruined it due to bad smoke but that was due to the controller I was using on my wsm. Guess I am just trying to wrap my head around this. Been doing this BBQ for many years now and still feel like a rookie sometimes.
I believe your juices are evaporating. Happens on long cooks unwrapped for sure.
About all you will get left behind is rendered fat/oil.

NOW, if you put a piece of fat in the pan I feel like the juices drop into that and don't have enough dry/air to evaporate and kind of collect with the rendered fat in the pan. You now have juices and fat that would need to be separated but I see more juices when I do something like this.

Why do I do something like this? When I cook brisket I take the trimmed off good meat from the flat and put it in the pan BUT to keep it from drying all to hell I take the deckle and other fat and put it in the pan and then on top of the good meat to kind of protect it from the heat. Usually works out pretty well and all those juices and any dripped juices stick around.... if they don't miss the pan and get caught by my foil covered drip tray :)

Now one exception in my experience. Poultry. Do chicken or turkey over a pan and OMG the amount of juices that comes out can be insane! It's even more hardcore if you brined/cured the the poultry. So know that difference for sure :)
 
Yep, the non-fat liquid that drips out of the meat is evaporating if you put the pan below the meat. Here's why.

Let's say the smoker is at 225F. Water boils at 212F. Salted water from the rub doesn't impact the boiling point of the liquids much at all like it does freezing temperatures. It might raise the boiling point by a tenth or two.

If you put the meat in a pan so that anything that comes out of the meat stays in contact with the meat, the meat temp, which will be lower than 212F and lower than the 225F chamber temp, will keep most of the juices from evaporating.

If you put the pan BELOW the meat, the 225F chamber temp will evaporate the 212F liquid juices because there's nothing to keep the liquid temps from rising.

If you put the meat on a rack in the pan so that it is slightly above the drippings, only about half the liquid will evaporate because the lower temp meat in close proximity still impacts the max temp of the drippings.

Thermodynamics. Meat gets it.
 
Here's how I set up a chuck roast . In a foil pan on a rack ( as mentioned above ) then wrapped with foil when the meat hits 160 .
Warm beef broth was also added at the wrap , but you can see the fat drippings floating around in there .
1684351595004.jpeg
 
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Good explanation by noboundries.

When smoking with Weber kettle and SnS, drip pan placed on charcoal grate does not get as hot and less juices evaporate. Another reason for using the old kettle.
 
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