Drip tray/foil Question

My drip tray is nice and black and “seasoned” lol. I just scrape it off with a small spatula every few cooks.
I'm in the same camp as you. I've never wrapped my drip tray from day 1 and don't plan on doing it.
 
I also use the wider foil from Costco and do the same thing with the crimping of the edges and I have never had a problem.
I use the same thing and it works very well. When I clean the smoker after every other smoke. I place a new foil on the drip pan and wrap it perfectly. I then place a second piece just under the food being prepared. I learned the hard way on leaving the single foil in too long and had a hell of a fire. The second piece is easy to pull off and throw away and the bottom is still clean. just replace and get to work.
 
My drip tray is nice and black and “seasoned” lol. I just scrape it off with a small spatula every few cooks.
I’ve been going back and forth with should I foil or not. If you don’t foil and cook something really greasy does not foiling cause for a grease fire or is it the same as with foil. I have some putty knives and if I don’t have to I would rather just scrape off and be done. Is it pretty easy to clean. Sorry for all the questions but would love to decide what I want to do.
 
I would think maybe a slightly less chance of a grease fire because there would be less chance of grease pooling on the bare drip pan.

It takes me two or three minutes to scrape. I get a small plastic garbage bag, put it about 4” over the end and scrape everything into it, tie off the bag and toss. I do get a little build up on my pan that I have to occasionally do a longer scrape to clean up. Neither way is perfect. You just have to find what works for you.
 
Just out of curiosity, has anyone had a grease fire in their smoker?
 
Just out of curiosity, has anyone had a grease fire in their smoker?

Yes.. temps went off the chart.. it ignited just over 400 and took off


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Just out of curiosity, has anyone had a grease fire in their smoker?
In 9 years of using pellet smokers, never. 85% of the time I am smoking at 200-250. The other 15% never goes above 375. I also vacume out the grill and change the drip tray foil before every cook.
 
Just out of curiosity, has anyone had a grease fire in their smoker?
Yep. I don’t recommend grilling burgers and then cooking bacon immediately afterward (even if it’s in a pan) without changing the foil or dealing with the burger grease first.
 
I am at a loss concerning use of foil to cover the drip tray and reduce the drip tray cleaning required.

Normal width foil does not cover the tray surface with just one piece, two overlapping pieces are required. Invariably drippings run under the overlapped foil creating a tray cleanup problem.

The wider foil rolls are difficult for me to get placed properly without overhanging the edges and potentially restricting air flow.

Wondering what others do - regular width foil, wide foil, no foil, something else?

Suggestions greatly appreciated.
I foil. Only takes a minute to foil the 1250 and I don’t want to risk a grease fire if I am sitting in the house.
 
Traeger has drip tray liners that you can buy at Home Depot and one of the sizes
(i forget which model) fits our Tray perfect
 
Ive foiled my drip pan and repurposed some old sheet pans (after creating a spout on one end to drip into the grease trough) and then have been foiling those and placing under the grates on the right side. Works great for those smaller cooks that may only use half the grates and it is so much easier to slide a grate over to pull out and re-foil a sheet pan than removing and re-foiling the entire drip tray.
 

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