WSM water question

[djoseph74]

I attended a local barbecue competition here in town yesterday and chatted up a few of the teams. It was kinda cool to see the different equipment that was being used. Several told me that they did not use water in their WSMs but they used other things like sand or lined ceramic pots or other such things. They said that nobody uses water in their smokers. Is this true?

I used mine for the first time this past weekend. Normally I like to spritz my stuff, but this was an overnight cook, and I didn't want to inject. Worked nicely, but now I have one more thing to clean up. Which I think is why most don't use it.

 

[NS Mike D]

I started out using water and then gravitated to sand or just foil. Then, at the Battle of the Brethren, we broke in a new WSM22 for the ribs and did not have a guru to hook up to it, so we decided to go old school with water. We took first place.


So I concur with the post that low and slow (235) water is good, yet hot and fast with no water will also produce moist que.


My only comment about sand is that it is heavy and will hardened like concrete and no matter how careful I am fat spills into the sand - which burns awful at hot and fast temps.

 

[Cayman1]

The "water no water" is the same as the "fat cap up or fat cap down" debate. There is no right or correct answer, all personal preference.

 

[oifmarine2003]

I use water