Sorry...dumb question...purpose of the bottom drain.

[Puff]

I read that the fats and grease vaporize quickly when the hit the baffle plate. So how is the drain used in this model reverse flow....is is strictly for draining the wash water out?

[Rodcrafter]

If the drain pipe is attached to the baffle plate and through the bottom it is for draining drippings and washout if needed of course. But remember that if your drain is only from the bottom of the tank, the water is going to go in your FB too, because an RF doesn't have a damn at the FB opening because it isn't needed or at least in many cases.

jm2cw

[Puff]

I wonder if it makes any sense to add a 2" lip and the end of the baffle plate or just say the heck with it since the washout will be when it's all cooled down? I know my throat opening is 1" from the very bottom so that much water ( 1" )might not even make the FB. .?

[Gizmo]

Here's my misguided opinion from a few years of cookin' "Q".

I used to foil the BP for easy clean up. The foil always leaked a little so eventually I had some grease build-up on the BP. After several cooks that was bugging me so I took an 8" sheetrock knife (new) to it and it came up the consistency of thin peanut butter - one pass. I had the whole BP clean in under 30 seconds just wiping my knife on a paper towel.

Note to self; "quit wasting foil on this …. so I did.

Every few cooks I give the BP a quick scraping which leaves a little behind for "flavor" - works great and there is never enough to drain out or run over or catch fire or turn rancid.

I think the drippings through the grate that end up on the BP are part of the "flavor" and seasoning of the cooker. The older the cooker the more flavor it lends to the food (assuming you keep things like fish out of it).

That being said - there are many folks with big cookers doing hundreds of pounds of meat in a single weekend and the drain is probably the "A" answer for them - cleaning out a big load of grease fast at the car wash is a whole different animal than the smaller cooks I do… jm2cw

[Puff]

Oh...so THATS where all that grease in the car wash pits comes from...funny you say that. All car washes have either a long pit under the conveyor or individual solids pits in the self serves and get cleaned out based on the activity of the wash...in the summer on hot humid days.....PU! We would pour bleach in the pit to clear out the smell.....Sand, oil, grease, anything that gets washed off the car lands there and settles out before going out to sewers by law. And today , compared to years back, you need to spend a fortune on a new car wash just based on effluent water

Great information Gizmo and I see exactly what you are saying , I have an 8" and 10" taping knife I've just dedicated to the smoker

[Wicked4x4]

I took an 8" sheetrock knife (new) to it and it came up the consistency of thin peanut butter - one pass. I had the whole BP clean in under 30 seconds just wiping my knife on a paper towel. Every few cooks I give the BP a quick scraping which leaves a little behind for "flavor" - works great and there is never enough to drain out or run over or catch fire or turn rancid.

I wonder if it makes any sense to add a 2" lip and the end of the baffle plate or just say the heck with it since the washout will be when it's all cooled down?

Puff, my style is a mix of the two. i was debating adding a drain from the BP out the bottom but said F it.
- as your 'idea' above, i used some 1.5" flat bar to make a lip, or stop for the BP so no grease/drippings run out the bottom and down towards the FB. see my pic below
- like Gizmo said, i too use an 8 inch drywall knife, but i give a quick scrape after every cook, and while still warm. i just get out the chunks and thick stuff, but always leave a bit of grease for a good coating.

now the most i've cooked in one day was 5 pork butts and 50 chicken thighs, this did produce a good amount of drippings for cleaning out. still, only took me about 3 minutes...if i were cooking 4x that meat or more, and that much on a regular basis...i'd opt for a drain, and i'd still use my drywall knife and just scrape it down the pipe.

[Puff]

Good information. Thanks...seems like all of the pictures i see of sliding grate rails show that 6" or so top guide rail instead of the full length one

[Gizmo]

That top guide rail is actually a "tip rail" so you don't end up with supper on your shoes…..

[Puff]

Great idea only when I made my rails, they have a tip rail that goes 26" deep. I see a great potential for a jam up..no experience only logic , I think

Seem like 8" of drag beats a possible 26"