The Piedmont Water Pan


 
Mike-no mechanism implied-just fixed 'winglets'.
Some heat would go straight up and a few blades or winglets would direct heat inward.

The engineers and practical folks are probably laughing by now at this silly idea. Your Piedmont Pan however is a very sound mod.
 
Originally posted by Steve Petrone:
Mike-no mechanism implied-just fixed 'winglets'.
Some heat would go straight up and a few blades or winglets would direct heat inward.

The engineers and practical folks are probably laughing by now at this silly idea. Your Piedmont Pan however is a very sound mod.
Click to expand...

Let 'em laugh, keep thinking it through and you might just have the next great thing!
 
Well,
I made one of the Piedmont Pan ...I just used a 1/4 x 20 Stainless machine screw through the top pan..then screw on (2) 1/4 x20 Stainless nuts..they just happen to be the right thinkness for the (WSM) then place the second pan on after that then a stainess wing nut..I used stainless hardware...because that is what I had...fits perfectly just under the grate. Thanks for the great idea...
wsmsmile8gm.gif
 
Originally posted by Rene Roy:
Well,
I made one of the Piedmont Pan ...I just used a 1/4 x 20 Stainless machine screw through the top pan..then screw on (2) 1/4 x20 Stainless nuts..they just happen to be the right thinkness for the (WSM) then place the second pan on after that then a stainess wing nut..I used stainless hardware...because that is what I had...fits perfectly just under the grate. Thanks for the great idea...
wsmsmile8gm.gif
Click to expand...

Great! Glad it all went well!
 
Would this work stacking the WSM water pan on top of the Brinkmann charcoal pan? Or also somehow incorporating the Brinkmann water pan?
 
Originally posted by Dan M.:
Would this work stacking the WSM water pan on top of the Brinkmann charcoal pan? Or also somehow incorporating the Brinkmann water pan?
Click to expand...

As you can see from the pics on my website

http://web.infoave.net/~amwil/discursion.htm#Drip%20Pan

the wide flange of the pans makes it easy to position a spacer to hold the pans apart. I have seen a WSM water pan and it looks like a narrow flange. As long as you can drill a hole through that will allow a bolt to go through, you should be able to place a spacer tube to hold the pans apart, but, I don't know for sure as I have never had one to work with. I think I have answered your question, if not let me know. Glad to help if I can.
 
Originally posted by Mike Willsey:

I have seen a WSM water pan and it looks like a narrow flange. As long as you can drill a hole through that will allow a bolt to go through, you should be able to place a spacer tube to hold the pans apart, but, I don't know for sure as I have never had one to work with.
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I mounted my WSM water pan on top of my ECB charcoal/water pan this morning and used it to cook 4 "beer butt" chickens. I used 3 machine screws attached to the ECB pan, and I just put a nut on top of each and then pushed the end of the screws through the holes I drilled in the WSM pan. Adjusting the nuts allowed me to create about a 1" gap between the two pans. I cooked the chickens at about 250 degrees, with both pans empty. The grease in the top (WSM) pan was sizzling when the cook was finished, but didn't burn (no greasy black chicken smoke, thank goodness). This was the first time I had cooked in the WSM without water in the pan.
Here's the finished product:
Finished%2001.jpg
 
Originally posted by Larry D.:
snip
snip
about a 1" gap between the two pans. I cooked the chickens at about 250 degrees, with both pans empty. The grease in the top (WSM) pan was sizzling when the cook was finished, but didn't burn (no greasy black chicken smoke, thank goodness). This was the first time I had cooked in the WSM without water in the pan.
Here's the finished product:
Finished%2001.jpg
Click to expand...

I had a similar result too, the grease simmered but didn't burn nor did it cause any off flavor.
Mike
 
I'm interested in doing this mod, and apparently from what ya'll say, not using water in the pan does not affect the product. So, what is the purpose of water in the single pan anyway?
 
Al, water is a big aid with temp control. As you know water boils at approx. 212*. To change from a licquid to a gas requires a lot of energy. So excess heat is used to make that happen when you use water in the pan. It is usually difficult to get the cooker too hot when there is water present. The water boils taking up all that extra heat (energy). Water in a pan does not make meat moist despite what writers write.

Once you are comfortable with temp control using water, I recomend the Piedmont Waterless Pan Mod. designed by Mike. I have used it for a top rack cook and I am very pleased with the results.
 
Steve, thanks very much. I think I'll do a few more cooks with water then do the mod.
I just this evening ate the last of the leftover butt from the Saturday cook.
 
I made a Piedmont this weekend (BTW where did the name come from?) The temp was VERY stable - I did 3 pork butts and it was the easiest smoke EVER. Thanks for sharing the design!
 
Originally posted by Rene Roy:
Well,
I made one of the Piedmont Pan ...I just used a 1/4 x 20 Stainless machine screw through the top pan..then screw on (2) 1/4 x20 Stainless nuts..they just happen to be the right thinkness for the (WSM) then place the second pan on after that then a stainess wing nut..I used stainless hardware...because that is what I had...fits perfectly just under the grate. Thanks for the great idea...
wsmsmile8gm.gif
Click to expand...
so the nut acts as the spacer between pans?
 
Well I picked up 2 charcoal pans at bass pro last week to to make my piedmont water pan.

I finally got around to putting it together and trying it out tonight. I used 2 1/4-20 nuts as the spacers. Made it easy as pie to put together. I threw on a couple of fatties earlier to set the stage for its maiden voyage.

I used about a full chimney of unlit and roughly 1/4 chimney lit. Temps went up to 225 nicely and I shut down the vent facing the wind and the other 2 about 1/4 open and it ran about 245 the entire 3 hours. I must say I was amazed. I did notice the sound of like frying oil from the drippings. Unfortunately I am out of foil so I had to let it drip into the pan. I didn't look but if the cleanup is as nice as everything else this is an all around winner in my book. I wonder how much fuel this little trick will save.

Thanks for engineering of this project and thanks for sharing it with us! I can see I will have to make this mod to my Magnums also. IMO this is the best $12 modification one can make to the wsm.
 
Bought the 2nd Brinkmann pan...thought Id give the 'waterless' plan a try. Took a wad of aluminum foil and put it into the bottom pan, placed the top pan to rest on the foil leaving a half inch space between pans. Smoked 2 chickens in 4 hours...as before, perfect! The same results with 3 racks of baby-backs. Water is a thing of the past...!!
 
Hans I prefer to think that it affects the bark-better bark without the moist atmosphere. If water retards moisture loss from meat, I bet it is so little as to be insignificant.
 
Actually, I believe the water (humidity) is needed if you're looking for a good smoke ring. I've heard of folks adding other ingredients to the water pan like fruit juices or wine.
 
Originally posted by Kirt Kimerer:
Actually, I believe the water (humidity) is needed if you're looking for a good smoke ring. I've heard of folks adding other ingredients to the water pan like fruit juices or wine.
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I find no difference in the smoke ring formation since I have changed over to the PP. I can tell you that in my opinion adding anything but water to the pan is a waste. I have tried it and made absoulutely zero difference in the taste of what I made.
 
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