Another UDS question

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Displaced Texan

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I am about to start constructing my first UDS and have a question: Is the water pan necessary or even useful? I've been reading the forums and it seem like most people use them. I would rather just use a diffuser and not worry about the water if I don't need to.

I will post some pics of my smoker when I have it done, and will even try to keep a worklog.

Thanks in advance,

The Displaced Texas
 
Honestly, you don't need either one of them. Definitely no water pan but you can use a diffuser if you feel it's necessary. Try it with and without and see what you like best. I like the juices from whatever I'm smoking to hit the charcoal and STEAM!
 
I do not use a water pan in mine, either. I have a diffuser that I use (two foil pans filled with lava rocks and covered with foil) that goes on the bottom (third) rack. Easy clean up and easy to remove if I don't want to use it.
 
Part of why I like my UDS is the simplicity, and having to add a water pan to the setup would make it too complicated for me. ;)

I don't use a water pan, and only occasionally have used a pizza-pan-with-holes-in-it heat diffuser.
 
No water..ever

My logic as to use a diffuser is drippings still hit the coals and temps even out from the center to the edge so why not?

 
I dont use anything and it works great. The uds is supposed to be simple no need to complicate it with a water pan.
 
Water doesn't add moisture to the meat

UDS are easy to maintain temps with out water

.... so the only reason left to use water is because you want to burn more charcoal and who doesn't want to use more fuel? :icon_smile_tongue:
 
A UDS with a diffuser is like a training wheels on a tricycle ya just don't need it. Might as well save your time and energy and buy an ECB for less money as you will have more in a UDS with a water pan the same effects.
 
I have used both and prefer just a catch pan. The water pan cooks always took longer with no flavor help. Water did seem to make the smoke ring brighter. Maybe it was just more nitrates in the rub?
 
I made one for myself, and I use a holey pizza pan as a diffuser. I made 2 others for family and just tell them to use a throw away half restaurant pan with water or just as a catch for drippings. It all works well.
 
CarlWayne said:
Honestly, you don't need either one of them. Definitely no water pan but you can use a diffuser if you feel it's necessary. Try it with and without and see what you like best. I like the juices from whatever I'm smoking to hit the charcoal and STEAM!
Click to expand...

CarlWayne sums it up..

I built mine w/diffuser & water pan capability..Used em both once or twice..
Don't know what became of the diffuser but our dog drinks water from the ol water pan!

Keep em simple!!

Post pics of your progress
 
I just use a terra cotta saucer for pots. It works fine. Without it my bark got a little too hard on long cooks. It got broken right down the middle one day (I left it on a shelf where the dogs could reach it and they loved those drippings on it.) I play around with separating the two halves making the gap in the center bigger or smaller depending on how firm I want the bark. Plus some of the drippings can hit the coals. They're cheap too. I've seen people use a pizza stone, but I'm cheap. It'll cost under $10.
 
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