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oldpro
01-24-2010, 05:45 PM
I have pretty much decided to get the 22 1/2" WSM. From what I am hearing on this forum , the WSM's are holding their own in competition BBQ's. It also sounds like some of the folks use the water pan and some don't.

What percentage use a water pan in the competition cooking? Is there any special technique when you don't use the water pan? It sounds like some of the cooks fill the pan with sand. This is all very new to me and I would appreciate some help. I have a couple of stick burners, and have cooked with some of the old water smokers in the past. I have researched the BGE, and, while it looks like it is a super cooker, it's hard to justify the cost for my limited cooking.

Thanks in advance for your help. Got to go. My picnic is at 183 and I need to put it in the cooler for a couple of hours. Plus, the Vikings and Saints are about to kick off.

cbagby64
01-24-2010, 05:53 PM
We have 2 WSM 22.5 smokers and love both of them for competitions. We also have a XL BGE and it is great but it is just to heavy and cumbersome to take it to competitions. As far as your question we only use water in our WSM. We have found that it maintains a better moisture level in the smoker. We also like using water when the cooker is running a little hot, a fresh batch of cool water will get you back to the desired temperature very quickly. We have looked at larger smokers but couldn't justify the cost for the limited number of contests that we do...

Vince B
01-24-2010, 10:29 PM
I honestly never use water in my pan but I almost always use the pan on whatever I am cooking. One thing I have learned is to use a clay saucer base to help as a heat sink in the water pan. This also helps you from having to refill the water pan. I am by no means a competition cook just a back yard q'r! I guess maybe I should try water sometime to see if it helps my cooks any. Vince

JD McGee
01-25-2010, 12:33 AM
For comps we use water for butts and ribs...dry for brisket and chicken...:cool: Good luck!

Professor Salt
01-25-2010, 02:17 AM
I use an 18 1/2" WSM with the terra cotta pan mod. I don't know if there's a common size of terra cotta pan what would fit the water pan of a 22" WSM.

I use that mod because cleanup is a lot easier than dealing with greasy, dirty water. I wrap the terra cotta with foil, and after cooking, I ball it up with the grease and burnt bits and toss it.

The downside to using it is that it's much less tolerant of leaving the lid off the cooker than if I use water in the pan. Temps spike up much more quickly if I'm not careful in keeping the lid on the cooker while I'm mopping and reseasoning meat.

redbandit98
01-25-2010, 06:21 AM
Cant comment on competitions as I dont compete. I do, however, own a wsm and I dont use water in my pan. The main reason is I do mostly overnight cooks and I dont want to get up and fill the water pan. I know I could get a brinkman pan but I cant find one locally and I refuse to pay to have one shipped. I use a cheap old clay saucer that fits right inside the water pan. I just foil it and set it in the pan. I never have any problems with temps. I did a chuck roll last weekend and the cooker stayed at 225-230 for about 13 hours untouched.

NorthwestBBQ
01-25-2010, 06:44 AM
I have a 22.5" WSM. I put water in the pan for low and slow. For high heat I just foil the pan and go.

High Q
01-25-2010, 07:00 AM
I have a 22.5" WSM. I put water in the pan for low and slow. For high heat I just foil the pan and go.

+1.

Even on a cold night a few weekends back, I used the water pan and the cooker held 200 to 225 for 12 hours. I probably used more fuel using the pan but I wanted the moisture since it was a very dry night by Houston standards too. If I had it to do again, I would foil the pan on a cold night and manage the temp with the vents.

We did chicken on the WSM this weekend and a fatty. I foiled the pan, no water. With one chimney of Kingsford, the smoker was up to 300+ quickly and held there for the two hours I was cooking. I shut the vents and recovered a third of the charcoal the next day.

I like the WSM alot. I am going to try to grill on it this weekend just for fun. I hope you enjoy yours as much as I like mine.

Stoke&Smoke
01-25-2010, 08:51 AM
We compete with a 22" and an 18" WSM.(sometimes 2 18's) I quit using water a long time ago when I figured out how much easier it was to use the clay pot/foil method. I honestly do not think our meat suffers from there not being water in the cooker

When done, just remove the foil and viola! clean

D0ughB0y
01-25-2010, 09:23 AM
Since I've gotten my 22 WSM (Dec 21st) I've cooked on it about twice a week. I foil the pan and leave it dry.

alto10
01-25-2010, 09:35 AM
I dont compete but I will fil the pan once on overnights to maintain heat but dont refill(it is a pain Ithink) I have not had problems of drying out or too high of spikes. I hav found that the WSM is pretty foolproof. I have not yet tried the clay dish yet maybe thisd spring. Good Luck and I am thinking of buying the 22" How is it on fuel consumption adn maintaining heat?

comfrank
01-25-2010, 01:27 PM
One more vote for using the water pan. I use a full water pan, all the time in my 22" WSM, both at home and at comps.

--frank in Wilson, NY