Water in the smoker?

[Samichlaus]

Do you guys use a water pan or fill the cooking chamber in your offset with water? Does it make a difference? Does it use more fuel?

[tommykendall]

Dan - there is a water pan in my Bandera that you saw. There are also water pans in bullet smokers. Offset horizontals don't normally have one equipped but I've seen them used. There are a few threads on the archives about folks thoughts on usage.

[jminion]

Water can help keep pit temps up during adverse weather and cut down on temp fluctuations during the cook.

[tommykendall]

Jim - happy post #300. Thanks for being here.

[racer_81]

Using the theory that the water in the water pan serves as a heat sink only, I use sand (covered in foil) in my water pan.

Some folks use the theory that the water serves both as a heat sink and as a meat moisturizer so they use water (sometimes with flavorings added).

[kcquer]

Sami, For "low 'n' slow" Q cookin' we look for gentle heat. I like to use the analogy of a stove burner. If you crank up a burner on your stove and hold your hand over it, it gets pretty uncomfortable pretty quick. If you set a pan of water on the burner you can hold your hand over that for a long time.
My horz cooker isn't equipped with a dam for flooding the bottom of the cooker but I have a piece of scrap sheet metal from my baffle mod that I use as a shelf to set a stainless pan on.
It really helps even the heat and tame my hot spot near the firebox. As far as moisture is concerned, the steam won't add any moisture to the meat, but I do think if you saturate the smoke box environment with humidity that moisture in the meat stays put longer (just my opinion).
The only time I don't use water is the last hour of 3-2-1 for ribs. After unwrapping I like the ribs to firm up that last hour and if they begin to look too dry I spray every 10-15mins with applejuice.

[BigBelly]

Here we go again...about to open up a can of worms. =)

[willkat98]

http://www.bandera-brethren.com/index.php?name=PNphpBB2&file=viewtopic&t=323&highlight=dog+****+water+pan

LMFAO

[spicewine]

All of the smokers that I build have water pans. The steam comming off of the pan helps move the air and kind of acts like a convection oven. When we want to finish and set the bark, we drain the water pan and use only dry heat.

[brdbbq]

http://www.bandera-brethren.com/index.php?name=PNphpBB2&file=viewtopic&t=323&highlight=dog+sh#t+water+pan

LMFAO

That hurt.
Don't know who the guest was seems like a real nice guy.

[Bigdog]

http://www.bandera-brethren.com/index.php?name=PNphpBB2&file=viewtopic&t=323&highl ight=dog+sh#t+water+pan

LMFAO

That hurt.
Don't know who the guest was seems like a real nice guy.

Probably some no-teeth Texas farker. :P

[brdbbq]

http://www.bandera-brethren.com/index.php?name=PNphpBB2&file=viewtopic&t=323&highlight=dog+sh#t+water+pan

LMFAO

That hurt.
Don't know who the guest was seems like a real nice guy.

Probably some no-teeth Texas farker. :P

No draw or spit in his post, can't be.

[Solidkick]

http://www.bandera-brethren.com/index.php?name=PNphpBB2&file=viewtopic&t=323&highlight=dog+sh#t+water+pan

LMFAO

That hurt.
Don't know who the guest was seems like a real nice guy.

Probably some no-teeth Texas farker. :P

OMFG!!!!!!!!!!! Someone ELSE nailed the toothless Texan..........

nice one Jayhawker!

[BBQchef33]

in my horizontal i put a foil pan in the hot spot to temper it a little bit, and put about an inch of water across the bottom of the chamber.

[Wayne]

With BBQ you need to experiment and develop your own style. The water pan is a good example. The pan will help keep the temperature constant in the oven even when it is opened for mops and such. Water is slow to absorb heat and slow to give it up. That makes it a pretty good heat sink that will moderate the oven temperature. You do need to allow the water to heat up before you start cooking. You can always start off with hot water and reduce the warm up time.

Solid items such as sand, bricks, and steal plates are less efficient than water because they loose their heat much quicker. But if you don’t open the door much these items can be as efficient as the water. Air is a gas, and as such is the worst because it gives up its heat too quick. If you avoid opening the oven and pay close attention to the fire you may not need much of a heat sink.

Cleanup with water, sand or bricks can also be a problem. Cleanup is really important because the drippings left in sand or soaking into bricks can become rancid and make for BBQ skunk. I find that water is pretty easy to clean. You just throw it away. With sand or fire bricks the cleanup can be harder. To avoid this some guys like Racer 81 wrap foil around the heat sink material.

To me the most important thing to do is try everything and find out what fits into your cooking habits the best. I tend to use the water in the pan and will also use a pan of water in my horizontal smoker that was not really built with a water pan in mind. Sometimes I don't use a heat sink at all. I get the results that I want and that is all that is important. If others use sand, bricks or nothing at all then that doesn’t make them wrong. Because if their BBQ is good then how could their method be wrong?

[Samichlaus]

So is the consensus that the water mitigates temp differences & encourages more stable pits temps?

Or does it ensure moist food too?

[kcquer]

Or does it ensure moist food too?

Sami, nothing ensures moist product, getting stuff off the cooker when its done is as close to a gaurantee as you'll get, you can do everything right and still get a crappy cut of meat that won't be good no matter what you do. I think water helps, so I use it. Like Wayne suggests try everything and see what works for you. I keep a log of my cooks in composition book, in the beginning very detailed, pit and meat temps every hour, now its just start and stop times, meat weights, wood selection, basic weather info, and how stuff turned out with a few notes about "this didn't work" ,"don't do that again", "next time add more cayenne" etc. Makes a good reference when you haven't cooked something for a while, you can go back and see how long stuff takes to cook or whatever.

[BigBelly]

Kitty Litter in da water pan mod! Priceless!

[BigAl]

The designers call 'em water pans for a reason!

[Trout_man22]

I think I'll cook potatoes in my pan it'll keep the temp even and taste good too. :roll:

[brdbbq]

The designers call 'em water pans for a reason!

As Sgt Hulka would say "Adapt and Overcome." Every designer has a good tech behind him that does this.

[BigAl]

The designers call 'em water pans for a reason!

As Sgt Hulka would say "Adapt and Overcome." Every designer has a good tech behind him that does this.

:roll: What you mean is, more like wasting time farking with stuff that works when used as designed by experienced folks and has not had the redsign mod to save money. :D

[Solidkick]

A can a SPAM in the water pan sure gives off a nice aroma.........

I like using apples and pears too..........

[willkat98]

Dan

As for your original question, here is the lighter side of the good answers you found here:

http://www.bandera-brethren.com/index.php?name=PNphpBB2&file=viewtopic&t=567&highlight=water+pan+contents

[brdbbq]

Popfart ? Could smoke Vienna Sausage with the popcorn, Puppy Peters with Balls

[stlmike]

The designers call 'em water pans for a reason!

As Sgt Hulka would say "Adapt and Overcome." Every designer has a good tech behind him that does this.

:roll: What you mean is, more like wasting time farking with stuff that works when used as designed by experienced folks and has not had the redsign mod to save money. :D

I replaced my water pan with a sandbox.
Mike

[BigAl]

The designers call 'em water pans for a reason!

As Sgt Hulka would say "Adapt and Overcome." Every designer has a good tech behind him that does this.

:roll: What you mean is, more like wasting time farking with stuff that works when used as designed by experienced folks and has not had the redsign mod to save money. :D

I replaced my water pan with a sandbox.
Mike

When you go to the old folks home, you can do the same with you bed pan :!: :D :lol: :lol: 8) :lol: :roll: :lol: