Water Pan acts as a heat shield.

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SmokeRingsMatter

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Had my PB4 for a few months now. One thing i noticed is adding the water pan drastically keeps the temp down on the lower rack just above the water pan. I actually like this. The controller goes as low as 150F, but actual temp (using Fireboard ambient probe) at the lower rack is a consistent 30 degrees lower then what the PB4 controller is reading on the probe.



This actually gives me a great way to cold smoke jerky, salmon, snack sticks, land jeagers..ect..ect.


Ok, getting to my question, Would i be better off using water, or another buffer like ceramic briquettes, or sand if i want to keep humidity down inside the smoker?
 
PB4 sounds like a Star Wars Droid

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So... Back on topic :-D

Anything that holds the heat will help with temp fluctuations, but even the empty was pan works as a heat shield. On my WSM I used water the first time i used it, and hated dealing with greasy water so I wrapped the water pan in foil and just used that and it cooked fine.
 
I think with wanting to run low for smoking/drying that you would want to run just the empty pan as a heat deflector.

With adding firebrick/sand/anything else to give more thermal mass, I'd imagine you'd be holding more heat in the cooker. With just the empty pan, you should be able to keep things protected, while promoting more air movement by having the pellets cycle on more often due to less heat being retained in the cooker. That should give more airflow/smoke on the meat while keeping things from heating up
 
KClandcruiser said:
I think with wanting to run low for smoking/drying that you would want to run just the empty pan as a heat deflector.

With adding firebrick/sand/anything else to give more thermal mass, I'd imagine you'd be holding more heat in the cooker. With just the empty pan, you should be able to keep things protected, while promoting more air movement by having the pellets cycle on more often due to less heat being retained in the cooker. That should give more airflow/smoke on the meat while keeping things from heating up
Click to expand...


Thanks. This was sort of what i was thinking as well. I haven't yet tried to run it without water (pit boss actually warns not to run without water in it)



But i was thinking, there is a deflector box below the water pan that deflects the heat out the sides that goes straight up to the top of the smoker which seems to bypass the water pan completely. If i recall, i dont think ive ever seen the water boil at all at low temps. Yes i know what doesnt boil till 212F but even with the controller set to 150F the heat coming out the deflector box should be above 212F.


Anyway, back to the point. If the water isn't boiling, it shouldn't add too much moisture? And might help keep temps down if not being directly heated?
 
In my old Cookshack electric, I used to put in a pan of ice cubes if I was trying to cold smoke or make jerky. It was a real moist environment, so I still had to open the door occasionally to dump the moisture.
 
LYU370 said:
In my old Cookshack electric, I used to put in a pan of ice cubes if I was trying to cold smoke or make jerky. It was a real moist environment, so I still had to open the door occasionally to dump the moisture.
Click to expand...


What temp did you run your cookshack? I use to run my MES30 around 135F for jerky. But at the top i think it ran over 150F and it would cook the jerky and create a lot of moisture in the smoker. Things are a lot different with the PB4. #1 I built a hanging rack that uses the lower tier of the smoker so around 120F. #2 the blower exausts the air(and moisture) straight out, so no accumulation like a stagnant electric smoker.
 
SmokeRingsMatter said:
Thanks. This was sort of what i was thinking as well. I haven't yet tried to run it without water (pit boss actually warns not to run without water in it)



But i was thinking, there is a deflector box below the water pan that deflects the heat out the sides that goes straight up to the top of the smoker which seems to bypass the water pan completely. If i recall, i dont think ive ever seen the water boil at all at low temps. Yes i know what doesnt boil till 212F but even with the controller set to 150F the heat coming out the deflector box should be above 212F.


Anyway, back to the point. If the water isn't boiling, it shouldn't add too much moisture? And might help keep temps down if not being directly heated?
Click to expand...

You might be on the right track with that. I guess there's only one way to find out ha! Pellet cookers seem to run a little dryer due to the fan running anyways. Let me know what you figure out once you give it a try
 
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