WSM No Water in Pan - But why?

[zachg18]

I saw Harry Soo give this tip a while back and truthfully it's the only way I have used my WSM since I started making BBQ this past year.

But does anyone know the thinking behind this?

I imagine it doesn't have to do with humidity/moisture since Harry lives in California which is super dry...so if he thought it provided extra moisture somehow you would think he would definitely use it.

I am happy with my results with no water in the pan, just curious if anyone knows his logic behind not using it.

Thanks!

 

[sudsandswine]

Not sure if this is his reason, but heating the water's mass and then keeping it there consumes fuel which could otherwise be spent on cooking the meat, but depending how much is in there, it might help moderate temperature swings to some degree.

 

[Ron_L]

I used water in my WSM for the first cook, and had to deal with hot, greasy water. I never used it again.

 

[Hinds15]

Never used water in any cooker. Here lately I've been going with out the pan all together on chicken and things like country style ribs or baby back/st louis ribs.

 

[Mike in Roseville]

I don't use water either. Tried it once or twice when I first started and it just made a mess. Now I just line the pan with foil or cook high heat indirect without the pan. If you need extra moisture you can always brine, inject, or spritz.

 

[gcs]

I use water sometimes, sometimes not, I like it for very low temps like when doing bacon, the water does help stabilize and moderate the temps....The humidity is alleged to help form a nice smoke ring...but who knows.
As for mess?, I just pour it off in the yard, no big deal.

 

[93_confirmed]

I gave up on the pan also and either run it dry or remove it to get the extra flavor from the fat hitting the coals.

 

[Hamdrew]

I gave up on the pan also and either run it dry or remove it to get the extra flavor from the fat hitting the coals.

This.



Could even go as far as lining the bottom chamber with foil if mess is a concern from the dripping grease. Some day I will use the pan upside down to see if it makes any difference.. Can't imagine it will, but you dont know til you know, ya know?

 

[jojocircus]

Depends on your smoking temp. Water = 225. The evaporative cooling takes energy from the fire and keeps the temp down. If you want to smoke at 250-275 like most do these days, running dry helps getting the temp up without having to build a raging fire.

 

[NickTheGreat]

I used water in my WSM for the first cook, and had to deal with hot, greasy water. I never used it again.

Same here. And it took forever to get to temp. Never really did get quite high enough.

 

[Stingerhook]

I don't even use the pan, just let things go over the coals.

 

[zachg18]

Not sure if this is his reason, but heating the water's mass and then keeping it there consumes fuel which could otherwise be spent on cooking the meat, but depending how much is in there, it might help moderate temperature swings to some degree.

Thanks! Makes sense to me !

 

[smoke ninja]

Water is a heat sink a d regulates temps. Basically in a wsm if you have water in the pan it can't cook too hot.

It is however a mess and consumes more fuel. With a reliable thermometer you can dial in the temp and save the hassle

 

[jzadski]

I use a clay flower pot bottom in the empty water pan as a heat sink and wrap it and the water pan in foil for easy clean up. This allows me to run really low and even better really hot with a little adjustment to the bottom vents and top open. It's a quick learn. You really do save a lot of fuel too. I have noticed no discernable difference.

 

[harknii]

I cooked for a while using water in the pan in my WSM and boy was it a mess. So I tried sand, dry, no pan etc. But my Q was coming out dry so my son suggested we go back to water and it made all the difference. I must have been doing something wrong. Oh well...

 

[SMOKE FREAK]

When I bought my 18" it came with no water pan. I bought a 15" pizza pan to use as a heat deflector. No water in my cookers.

Just a note. The meaning of "heat sink" is something that removes heat. Such as the cooling fins of a radiator. Not something that holds heat...

 

[KB BBQ]

I don't use water either. Tried it once or twice when I first started and it just made a mess. Now I just line the pan with foil or cook high heat indirect without the pan. If you need extra moisture you can always brine, inject, or spritz.

Same here, I mainly use the pan as a heat deflector.

 

[LloydQ]

I use water in the pan for brisket and butts, but use a dry pan as a diverter for ribs. I mean really, how hard is it to empty a pan of water? I just dump mine over the fence in my A-hole neighbor's yard!

 

[bgross88]

Did 2 cooks in the last week with my 22. Pork Butt and then a Brisket. Removed the water pan completely for both cooks--first attempts using that method.

Was extremely happy with the results. Pretty sure that will be my go-to moving forward.

 

[SweetHeatBBQnSC]

Have used water with butts and brisket and didn't tell a huge difference. Never have on ribs. Advantage of living in the country, just dump water, ash, or whatever in the woods. However, now I just wrap my water pan with foil.