WSM Water Pan

pull_my_butt · Oct 10, 2015

Hi Everyone,

I'm kind of getting tired of this water pan in the bullet. It's hard to clean up and there's no good place to dump the left-over water. What are some of you guys doing about this? Where are you dumping the left-over water? I killed a spot of grass dumping it there.

Meatguyver · Oct 10, 2015

I used to pour it down the garbage disposal. I now go with no water and foil the pan before using it.

pull_my_butt · Oct 10, 2015

Meatguyver said:
I used to pour it down the garbage disposal. I now go with no water and foil the pan before using it.

Have you noticed a difference in how the meat turns out w/o the water in the pan?

yakdung · Oct 10, 2015

I would recommend a terra-cotta saucer that sits in the empty water pan. I use Super Strength Reynolds aluminum foil, foiling the empty water pan and the saucer. Great setup. :thumb:

Harbormaster · Oct 10, 2015

Some golf balls sized balls of foil in the pan, then cover the whole pan with foil.
When your cook is done, let the grease set up, take the foil and grease out and toss it.
Easy peasy.
Save the foil balls for your next cook. (I use crushed aluminum cans in mine).
Any difference in the meat? Nope. I just burn a lot less fuel. keeping that water hot requires a LOT of energy.

DetTigersFan · Oct 10, 2015

Just make a foil layer over the pan and don't bother with the water... You're right, it is a hassle to deal with.

Joe Black · Oct 10, 2015

When I first got my WSM a number of years ago, I used water for about 3 times, then sand a couple of times. I bought a clay saucer and used it for about 6 or 8 times. Since then,I used it dry with only foil on the pan to keep it clean. I actually got better temp control with the naked pan and used it that way for several years until I sold it.

USMC · Oct 10, 2015

Like others have said, just foil it. I use the clay pot saucer in the water bowl and foil across the top for easy clean up. Try it and if you don't like it, you can always go back to the water. Weber's claim is that it makes for more stable temps, but my temps are actually more stable without it for some reason.

jjjonz · Oct 10, 2015

I fought the dreaded leftover water clean up for about a year. Then just started foiling the pan and then no pan at all on most cooks .

Meatguyver · Oct 10, 2015

pull_my_butt said:
Have you noticed a difference in how the meat turns out w/o the water in the pan?

Yes difference was better bark, and higher temps. I decided to try it due to recommendations from the fellas and gals here. I also read Harry Soo's blog, been using his donut charcoal method too. Try it and be the judge

Smoking Bruin · Oct 11, 2015

DetTigersFan said:
Just make a foil layer over the pan and don't bother with the water... You're right, it is a hassle to deal with.

^ what he said

krex1010 · Oct 11, 2015

I've been using nothing, no water, no pan, nothing between the meat and coals, I guess I might use some kind of heat shield if I need to use the lower rack or if I don't want fat dripping in the coals.

Jeff H · Oct 12, 2015

krex1010 said:
I've been using nothing, no water, no pan, nothing between the meat and coals, I guess I might use some kind of heat shield if I need to use the lower rack or if I don't want fat dripping in the coals.

I've been using an empty pan for a while, but yesterday was my first cook with no pan at all. Worked great for turkey at a higher temp. Need to try on pork next to get the feel for how it does on a longer cook but I think it will be fine.

The issue now: where to store the pan since I'm not using it. :wink:

TosaJake · Oct 12, 2015

What Harbormaster says

RDOwens · Oct 12, 2015

Another clay saucer guy here. I wrap everything individually and then the pan and the saucer together with two layers of HD Reynolds wrap. Like someone above stated, I remove the outer layer of foil and toss it and then re-wrap.

Every now and then I re-wrap everything as grease does seep through the layers somehow.

I haven't had water in either of the WSMs in the seven years I've owned them.

Dmakkk · Oct 12, 2015

Agree with the no water on the pan. Just wrap in foil

THoey1963 · Oct 12, 2015

Another vote for no water, just foil up the water pan. I have a planter base also wrapped inside and this helps with heat stabilization. I throw a cheap aluminum turkey roasting pan on top to catch most of the drippings.

I remove the pan completely for high temp cooks like chicken.

WSM Water Pan

pull_my_butt

Knows what a fatty is.

Meatguyver

Knows what a fatty is.

pull_my_butt

Knows what a fatty is.

yakdung

is Blowin Smoke!

Harbormaster

somebody shut me the fark up.

DetTigersFan

is one Smokin' Farker

Joe Black

Babbling Farker

USMC

is one Smokin' Farker

jjjonz

Take a breath!

Meatguyver

Knows what a fatty is.

Smoking Bruin

Full Fledged Farker

krex1010

is Blowin Smoke!

Jeff H

Full Fledged Farker

TosaJake

Knows what a fatty is.

RDOwens

Knows what a fatty is.

Dmakkk

Take a breath!

THoey1963

somebody shut me the fark up.

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