HAving only used my 18.5 WSM a couple times, I consider myself quite the Newbee!! But having read all the different ways to use the water bowl has me a bit puzzled...Bith times I have smoked, (baby backs) I filled the bowl with water. I read that some cover a filled bowl with foil(for ease of cleaning) Others fill it with sand, and others just leave the darn thing empty!! If I am to understand it correctly, the purpose of the bowl is to moderate the temp so as to achieve the desired 'low and slow' cook. So please, what is the idea behind all the different methods of use for the bowl. Thanks again guys, there isn't a question I have posted yet that I didn't come out a lot wiser from!

So here's the deal. The water works great as a hedge against any temperature spikes. The downsides are...

1. You can't use it for high heat (because the water will prevent high temperatures, duh). A lot of people like to cook ribs at more like 275 and even that's too high for the water.
2. As the water runs out it becomes ineffective. Depending on the capacity of your water pan (depends on model, year) this can easily happen on overnight cooks, especially if you're running your vents too far open.
3. It can be a bit messy.

Some people, once they get comfortable with the unit, just don't use anything, or foil the pan to catch drips.

Some people like a little protection that will work with high heat. This gets you to thermal mass approaches - sand, the saucer of a terra cotta pot, that sort of thing.

Personally I'll tend to use the saucer technique (for your 18" I think it's a 14" saucer - somebody please correct me if that's wrong) *except* if I'm doing something like an overnight pork butt. I know the water should last until morning, and I'd just as soon have the extra protection overnight. But that's a personal decision.

Tim, you don't cover a 'filled' bowl with foil. You cover the empty bowl with foil, whether you fill it with water or not. This aids in cleanup as you don't have to wash a greasy bowl.

Well, I suppose if you used sand in the bowl you'd want to cover the sand with foil so it won't absorb the grease.

The idea of getting away from water is that you don't really need it. But you still need 'something' to block the direct heat, a 'baffle' of some sort - empty bowl, clay saucer, pizza stones, etc. Wrapping these items in foil is mostly to make clean up easy.

If you're adept at maintaining temps, give no-water a try.

Tim, you will get a lot of different opinions on this question. Do yourself a favor and try each method and decide which you like. You will use the most fuel with water, you will get higher temps with nothing in bowl but foil, all other methods are somewhere in between. I personally use teracota for low heat and only foil for HH. Never use water.

Mark

quote:

Do yourself a favor and try each method and decide which you like.

+1
Don't hesitate to experiment. "BBQ" is not Rocket Science. It's about what you personally like and dislike. That's what makes it so fun and interesting.
Just don't forget to share your experiences here.

I've always used water to protect against temperature spikes.

I am doing ribs & chicken this weekend which I am going to try at 275, so I am trying the empty foiled pan.

I am also going to try to make my own clay saucer / bowl that will fit perfectly on the 18.5 this weekened for use later.

I use water only on overnight cooks, to prevent a temp spike so the butts won't finish a lot earlier than I want.

I always start out with a dry pan and add water later after temps have been established.

I agree with MK - try it all and see what YOU like. I use my water pan (lined with foil on top only) every time. Why? I figure if Weber designed the WSM with a water pan there's a reason. So far I've mostly done St. Louis ribs and they've been awesome. Very moist and cooked just right. I had a Traeger pellet cooker for 4 years and just switched to the WSM and I wouldn't go back to pellets if they paid me.