ATC and water pan?


 
MikeD125

MikeD125

TVWBB All-Star
What do most people do with the water pan once they get an ATC? Wrap in foil and call it a day?
 
Yep. That or lose the water pan completely and go to a foil-wrapped clay saucer (planter base).
 
Just finished my Heatermeter build so this a question I will be watching closely. I will probably stay with using water since it has worked so well for me previously. Still hate dealing with the water afterwords though. I think good temperature control is a combination of things not just an ATC. When I got my WSM a few months ago, I did a few things before I ever started to cook. Got a et732, added the nomex gasket, and read a lot about vent control. My heat management worked out quite well. The reason for the ATC is two fold. One, I like my electronic toys (low voltage contractor), and two, I want to sleep all night. The short of it is, if you are doing well without the ATC, then don't change anything when you get your ATC. Just get more sleep. Just my two cents.
 
When I first got my ATC I continued to use water in the pan. This resulted in a lot of up and downs with the pit temperature. My thoughts are that the water pan is just a heat sink that helps stabilize the pit temp and doesn't really do anything for the moisture of the meat. When you have a full water pan the ATC has to work harder to get the pit up to temp since you're also heating up all that water. The water will never get above 212 degrees F so that mass of water is constantly pulling energy out of the pit causing the ATC to work harder to get to the desired pit temp. Because it's working harder the coals are getting hotter so when the ATC shuts off after reaching your desired temp you have overshoots. Then the water pulls heat out of the pit since the water temp is cooler and the temperature drops. Then the ATC kicks back on and the cycle starts over and continues. After I did that a couple of times I went with just a dry, foiled water pan and the up and down fluctuations stopped. I eventually went to a foiled clay saucer since that is a more stable heat sink than water (it is also easier to foil and uses less foil, as well as giving you more space between the saucer and the coals) and have never looked back. With the clay saucer I can get my pit up to temp quickly with little to no overshoot and it then settles in. With a very full ring of Kingsford, the ATC kept my 18" WSM at 250 for 24 hours without adding more charcoal. That's my two cents and what has worked for me.
 
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Chad--

On your wsm, does the clay saucer replace the water pan or sit in it?

I'm trying to visualize if it sits on the wsm water pan brackets or if it's just in the pan.

What size saucer do you use?
 
Michael- It's a 14-inch saucer that sits on the brackets. The water pan is gone. I added a few washers on each of the bottom bolts of the brackets (between the interior smoker wall and bracket) to make the brackets stick out more. That way the foiled saucer sits securely. Before I did that, the saucer just barely held on and could easily fall through if anything got bumped.
 
Chad M. said:
Michael- It's a 14-inch saucer that sits on the brackets. The water pan is gone. I added a few washers on each of the bottom bolts of the brackets (between the interior smoker wall and bracket) to make the brackets stick out more. That way the foiled saucer sits securely. Before I did that, the saucer just barely held on and could easily fall through if anything got bumped.
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Thanks for the great reply, I really appreciated it!
 
Don't know why water in the pan gets such a bad rap. I've had my WSM 22 for 5 years now and only have used water because I'm too lazy and cheap (foil is expensive) to do otherwise. Temps are rock solid both without ATC or with Stoker or Heatermeter. I also clean the WSM after every cook which by popular opinion should make the smoker almost uncontrollable. No special tricks, minion with 12 to 15 lit then add water, close it up and start Stoker or Heatermeter. Brings up to temp and holds perfectly. I posted in the Heatermeter success thread a graph of last Rib cook, can't get any better than that and that's with water in the pan. To each their own, but don't fear the water! Dan
 
Chad,

Thanks for the info about the washer and clay saucer. I did that this morning and it works GREAT! So much easier than foiling the water pan over and over again. The water pan is fine, but I have realized I really don't need it to get great BBQ! Thanks again!

Tim
 
There is no need to use a heat sink of any kind with an ATC. You can of course, but a key purpose of an ATC is that one can avoid bothering with a heat sink.
 
I wrap the pan and separately wrap a 16" clay saucer. I then take a single sheet of foil and lay it over the top. I only replace that single sheet after every cook, and the rest remains wrapped. No need to remove and replace all of the foil for every single cook.
 
Gonna push the bottom of the brackets in like said so I can just use the saucer. The empty bowl it sits on is redundant from what I see. Thanks for the good info.
 
I noticed whenever I but a brisket on the lower grate, the bottom always gets overdone. I don't put anything in the pan, and the Stoker never went above 260 on this last cook. Any thoughts?
 
Neil - I'll be interested in how this works out for you. I'd be concerned that the saucer might crack and fall on to the charcoal, potentially ruining the cook. I've seend pizza stones crack when unsupported, and I suspect the same could happen with the saucer as well. Also, at least with my 22", the biggest saucer I could find was 16" which pretty much doubles the size of the gap between the wall, and I wonder if that direct heat might effect the wider cooks like with ribs, etc. Again, I wrap the pan, and the saucer separately, then insert the saucer, and put another layer over the combination, and only have to repalce that top layer every time. It's pretty easy and economical on the foil too. I use the wide HD stuff from Costco. Let us know how it works out.
 
Scott C. said:
Neil - I'll be interested in how this works out for you. I'd be concerned that the saucer might crack and fall on to the charcoal, potentially ruining the cook. I've seend pizza stones crack when unsupported, and I suspect the same could happen with the saucer as well. Also, at least with my 22", the biggest saucer I could find was 16" which pretty much doubles the size of the gap between the wall, and I wonder if that direct heat might effect the wider cooks like with ribs, etc. Again, I wrap the pan, and the saucer separately, then insert the saucer, and put another layer over the combination, and only have to repalce that top layer every time. It's pretty easy and economical on the foil too. I use the wide HD stuff from Costco. Let us know how it works out.
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The washers flared the bottom of the brackets out enough to give the saucer a more secure fit, even when bumped. I didnt consider it cracking. I'll let you know if it does.
 
Chad M. said:
Yep. That or lose the water pan completely and go to a foil-wrapped clay saucer (planter base).
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Your talking the un-painted orange clay saucer and the 14" will be supported by the tabs?
 
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I have a 22, wrap a clay saucer in foil and drop it in the unwrapped water pan. Need to get an ATC so I can cook overnight!
 
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