sand in water pan

H

HUCKS

Knows what a fatty is.
Joined
Jul 17, 2009
Messages
104
Reaction score
27
Points
0
Location
adel,georgia
i was at home depot and saw a bag of sand,bought to use in water pan that i have seen others do.any way when i got home i noticed on the bag keep out of reach of children.think wtf it is sand.then read more on the bag it contains cyrstalline silica.everything i ound is that it is a inhalation hazard.would you put this in your smoker
 
What's your smoker anyway?

With regards to sand you're not going to be inhaling sand directly, nor will it create fumes when heated. It's amazing what they have to put warnings on these days..lol

Also if you had sand in a pan it would be covered with foil.
 
You'll even find that warning on sand intended for sandboxes for children.
 
Sand is mostly silicon dioxide from quartz.
 
I have and did in my ECB. Filled the water pan with sand then covered with a double layer of heavy duty foil. After the cook peel the top layer off and add a new one. Never had any issues.
 
Grill manufacturers put water pans in smokers for one reason and one reason only and that is so they are more user friendly for newbies.

Water and smokers really don't go together and that's a fact.
 
I use sand in my water pan during the "cooler" months and water during the 100+ Texas weather.
 
Fwismoker said:
Grill manufacturers put water pans in smokers for one reason and one reason only and that is so they are more user friendly for newbies.

Water and smokers really don't go together and that's a fact.
Click to expand...


Doesn't Myron Mixon use a lot of water in his smoker? I'm not refuting your fact here but, I'm kind of a newbie and thought that it was just a different technique some people use. I figure if Myron does I can but, maybe it depends on the smoker?
 
sknabnoj said:
Doesn't Myron Mixon use a lot of water in his smoker? I'm not refuting your fact here but, I'm kind of a newbie and thought that it was just a different technique some people use. I figure if Myron does I can but, maybe it depends on the smoker?
Click to expand...

I can't speak for Myron Mixon but water is just a way to cool your pit and help regulate temp but imo that can be accomplished by better means.

Water in smokers chews up way way too much fuel.
 
Water pan is used to create a "mini thermal mass". Ceramic cookers don't need them..... we HAVE thermal mass. If you think it is to keep the food moist... doesn't work. If you don't want dried out BBQ, don't over cook it :tongue:
 
Fwismoker said:
I can't speak for Myron Mixon but water is just a way to cool your pit and help regulate temp but imo that can be accomplished by better means.

Water in smokers chews up way way too much fuel.
Click to expand...

I've used water and no water. The amount of fuel used was the same. That being said I should point out that I live in Florida.
 
FYI...sand is the same as silica, and diatomaceous earth, and glass, and:blah:
I'd just foil your water pan empty--it'll run just fine. Or just use the sand--it's fine
 
J'ville Grill said:
I've used water and no water. The amount of fuel used was the same. That being said I should point out that I live in Florida.
Click to expand...

If you're cooking with lower temps anyway you wouldn't see much difference but if you're trying to cook say 225 and up yes you're using more fuel. You have to burn more fuel trying to fight to overcome the cooling effect of the steam from the water.
 
Sunday night I cooked a brisket on my 18.5" WSM. I tried just foiling the water pan with nothing in it. My target temp was 275, but my Stoker draft assist never could shut on and off correctly to lock in at the target temp. The fan would cut off at 274, but the temp would continue to rise all the way to 290. Then it would drop all the way down to 250 even though the Stoker started blowing at 270. After two hours of watching this 40 degree swing over and over, I filled the water pan with hot water and then the temp locked in at 275 and didn't drop or rise any more than 273 to 277 degrees.

I really admire you guys that don't need anything in your water pans. It just didn't work for me when I tried it.
 
Fwismoker said:
Grill manufacturers put water pans in smokers for one reason and one reason only and that is so they are more user friendly for
Click to expand...

I LIKE user friendly and I like easy ........and I like how using a water pan/difusser in my UDS gives me only 20* difference in grate edge to center vs 40-50* without it :mrgreen:
 
SmittyJonz said:
I LIKE user friendly and I like easy ........and I like how using a water pan/difusser in my UDS gives me only 20* difference in grate edge to center vs 40-50* without it :mrgreen:
Click to expand...
:doh: Not letting the drippings hit the coals you're missing out on lots of good flavor. A simple pizza pan with holes in it will act as a diffuser and even out your heat.
 
Fwismoker said:
:doh: Not letting the drippings hit the coals you're missing out on lots of good flavor. A simple pizza pan with holes in it will act as a diffuser and even out your heat.
Click to expand...

Some would say I'm missing out on Carcenogens............:wink:
 
I have a Napolean Apollo (WSM copy), and I find that water pan filled with about a gallon of water throughout the cook to be pretty helpful. I will fill the coal rack with unlit coals, then put about 12-15 lit coals on top.

Even though this is not a lot of coals, after about a half hour, it's pretty hard to maintain temps of 225, even with the vents closed. The water pan makes this much easier to control for me, personally.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

Jbowie
WSM with no water pan in use
Replies
4
Views
365
bonz50
bonz50
16Adams
Kingsford Cumin Chili Briquettes w/Mesquite
Replies
13
Views
1K
WilliamKY
WilliamKY
cayenne
Blue Smoke Smoker Owners: What size water pan?
Replies
10
Views
1K
TheHojo
TheHojo
cayenne
Treating/Preventing Rust on offset lower shelf for wood, etc.
Replies
15
Views
1K
cayenne
cayenne
16Adams
Lumberjack Char Hickory
Replies
2
Views
301
Itsdone
I
Back
Top