Foil on drip trays: what makers say

You've lined the tray with foil to save scrubbing, and now grease is sitting in pools. Or you're about to line it and you're not sure you should.

Makers don't speak with one voice here. Two of them are quoted below, and both are talking about their own grills.

One maker says yes, with a catch

Traeger's cleaning guide names foil as a normal part of the setup. Its steps for putting the grill back together list the heat baffle, the drip tray, the drip tray liners or foil, new bucket liners and the grates.¹ It also lists foil that looks overly greasy as a sign the grill needs cleaning.¹

The guide adds that each Traeger model has a drip tray made for it.¹ Camp Chef's guide mentions disposable foil liners too, but for the grease bucket rather than the tray.² The page I read doesn't say anything about foil on its trays.

One maker says it can cause trouble

Weber's article is blunt. It calls lining the slide-out bottom tray with aluminium foil a time-saving habit and then gives a problem with it.³

Its reasoning is this:

• Weber built the bottom tray on its grills to move grease towards the catch pan as well as it can.
• Foil forms ridges and creases, and those create barriers to the proper flow of grease to the catch pan.
• The result, Weber says, is more grease on the bottom tray and a higher chance of fires and flare-ups.³

Weber is writing about its own grills. Its point about creased foil is still worth knowing if your tray has a channel or slope that leads grease to a bucket. The article itself doesn't say whether it applies to anyone else's tray.

So can you use it?

The sources give a split answer. Traeger treats foil and liners as part of its own setup. Weber advises against foil on its own trays. Neither says what suits yours.

Here's how to decide.

1. Find the tray section of your manual. It will say whether liners or foil are allowed, and may name the right product.
2. If it allows a liner, follow how it says to fit it. A liner that has to sit flat can't be left rumpled.
3. If the manual doesn't mention it, ask the maker. Camp Chef's own advice is to read the manual that came with the grill first.²
4. If you can't find an answer, leave the tray bare and scrape it after cooking. That's the choice that doesn't ask you to trust anything you can't confirm.

If you do use foil

• Change it when it's greasy. Traeger's own sign is foil that's started to look overly greasy.¹
• Check that it hasn't left a ridge or fold that can hold grease back. The reasoning is Weber's, from above.³
• Use your manual's diagram to see where the grease is meant to leave the tray, and keep that way clear.

More on where the grease is meant to travel is shown in a guide to the grease path. For the bucket, see the page on buckets.