Here's how I do it.


Clay saucer w/ the bottom wrapped in foil.


Water pan with the bottom wrapped in foil.


The clay saucer in the water pan.


Then I foil the top of the clay saucer while it's in the water pan.

I change the top foil after every cook and the bottom foil once every 5 cooks or so. I have never changed the foil on the bottom of the clay saucer.

why are you guys foiling the bottom of the water pan?

Thanks for the pictures Branon! That certainly clears up my questions. Pictures truly are worth a thousand words.

Rob

Foiling the bottom of the water pan keeps grease and sludge from building up. It also keeps the finish from cracking.

After I foil the bottom rack now rests on top of the saucer. Is this ok or do I have to redo my foil?

I went with the 12.25 because of that reason, just my opinion!

BTW, wouldn't go back to water for nothing!

I may go get the 12.25" saucer just so that grate doesn't rest on saucer.
That said it was the best ribs I have made to date and I too will not go back to water ever again.
I got the temp of to 225* in about 15 minutes and it stayed within 5-10 degrees throughout the whole smoke. The only work was an occasional adjustment to the vents & cleanup was a breeze.
It was so easy I decided to clean the rest of my patio off during the cook.

Ha, I would say that the vast number of folks who try w/o water say they would never go back!

Don't take long to get used to the new vent settings to make it work just as easy as the water method.

What's wrong with using less fuel for longer cooks?

Glad your cook turned out good!

quote:

Originally posted by Glenn W:
I went with the 12.25 because of that reason, just my opinion!

BTW, wouldn't go back to water for nothing!

My Home Depot doesn't have 12.25" clay saucers but they did have a 13" ceramic saucer.

Can I use a ceramic saucer instead of clay?

I would think that ceramic would be fine.

As long as the 13" sets just inside the bowl it will be fine too!

Are there any special considerations in regards to what type of clay saucer to use or possibly getting off flavors or chemicals in your food?

I have the 2009 version of the 18.5" and what works for me is to foil the water pan, foil a 12.25" clay saucer, place sucer in water pan then top with a 12" foil pizza pan. I then replace the pizza pan each smoke. I have smoked at least six times before refoiling and that was only because it was time to clean to whole cooker. My saucer and clay pot still look like brand new when unfoiled.

quote:

Originally posted by Corey Elks:
why are you guys foiling the bottom of the water pan?

Have you actually noticed a difference and if so have you thought of adding rocks, sand or other materials to further aid in heat retention?

For those using the clay saucer method, are you doing the minion method?

I am going to try the clay saucer for my first time this weekend while doing some ribs. I have 5+ smokes under my belt using the water pan and have been able to maintain temps really well.

I'm guessing I will want to cut back on the amount of lit coals I use at first?

How many coals are you all lighting for the minion method?

I used the clay saucer for the first time yesterday for rib tips.

Used the minion method, with about 13 lit coals. Took about 45 minutes to reach 250, held rock solid for the rest of the day.

I bought a 12.25 clay saucer at Home Depot the other day. Hope it is going to work right with my new 18.5" WSM that's coming today. I wasn't sure if I should buy the 12.25 or the 14. So I figured I would try the 12.25 and if that doesn't fit right buy the 14.

Xavier32178

quote:

Originally posted by Jason Prince:
I bought a 12.25 clay saucer at Home Depot the other day. Hope it is going to work right with my new 18.5" WSM that's coming today. I wasn't sure if I should buy the 12.25 or the 14. So I figured I would try the 12.25 and if that doesn't fit right buy the 14.

Xavier32178

The 14" I got from Home Depot sits on top of the water bowl of my 18" WSM perfectly. I can imagine the 12'5" would probably sit a lot lower in the bowl. Not sure that'll make any difference when it comes to cooking.

I have a 2010 WSM and I got the 12.25" saucer. It fits down in the bowl quite a ways like 3-4" from the top rim.
I ccoked with it this past weekend but I am new to the WSM and therefore not able to give any comparison to anything else.
I am thinking about trying the 14". They are not expensive.
The only differences should be the increased mass of the clay saucer (less temp fluctuation?) And the increased air space nder the saucer (less temp fluctuation?).
Not sure.

took the 12" back to Home Depot and got the 14". I will give it a try on Saturday when I smoke a Pork Butt

I went to get a 14'' saucer at Home Depot and they were out at all locations around my house. I'm assuming it's all people with the 18.5'' WSM buying these up.

One question I have is how do you guys foil the water pan? I have a heck of a time foiling the new pan and I'm using 18'' Heavy Duty Reynolds Wrap. It's not big enough to foil in one strip. I foiled on my last cook, and also foiled the inside, but I couldn't really get the foil tight and it was still a mess to clean up. Any suggestions? I've thought about putting a drip pan on the lower grate on my next cook to catch all the grease/drippings.