This year, I switched from the kettle to the WSM for the turkeys, mostly because I wanted a good way to catch the drippings for the gravy (I ended up putting a pan with carrots/onions/celery along with the neck and giblets on the lower rack, which gave me some wonderful pan gravy). It was kind of a pain to get the smoker up to 350 or so, and used a lot of fuel. But the results were good.
So my birthday is Saturday, and I treated myself to a 3-bone standing rib roast. I'd really like to do it in the kettle, since it seems to have more radiant heat and will give a good crust to the meat. The challenge is that every time I put a pan in the bottom of the kettle, I end up with a lot of ash and bits of coal in it. Have any of y'all learned any tricks to elevating that pan above the coals, or perhaps some way to keep the coals/ash away from my beloved drippings? My wife wants to try to make Yorkshire Pudding, and I want some clean beef fat to contribute to that project.
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!