Cleaning / Water or Sand

I put part of this in my Welcome post, but realized it should go here.

Anyhow, I just finished my first smoke on my 22" WSM and started off with something easy...chicken. Needless to say, it was super easy to maintain the temp at about 225 the whole time...it actually never went above 225 for the 2.5 hours it cooked. I used about 2 chimneys of kingsford.

The issue I have run into now, is how do you clean that huge water pan in the 22"? I poured the grease and marinade/water I poured in at the beginning, into a milk jug and tossed it. But there is a lot of gunk around the edges of the pan. Its too huge to bring in the house and clean...any suggestions? I have a hose outside that I could use, but spraying it alone didnt help. So wondering Im just going to have to use a wash pad and scrub it outside with the water hose??

On the other hand, I hear using sand makes for much better clean up. Does anyone recommend using sand? It seems like cleanup would be much easier since I wouldnt have to clean out the pan. I read about it, but worried I will lose the moisture in my meat if I dont use water or some kind of liquid. I value meat that is very moist and I assume having the water in the pan makes for more moist food. Am I right in that?

And lastly, how much does everyone actually clean their grill/pan etc? On my old smokey joe, I rarely did any maintenance on that and it has been going strong for years and years now. So just curious how detailed everyone is on cleaning their WSM.

Any help and guidance would be appreciated. But my chicken turned out great! I cant wait to make my ribs on this thing! Happy with the results, just not excited about cleaning the thing lol. But would love to hear from everyone! I know its a lot of questions, but Im new to the WSM and just want to do my research.

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">

could use, but spraying it alone didnt help. So wondering Im just going to have to use a wash pad and scrub it outside with the water hose?? </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

I'd start off by trying a mild scrubbing pad, some dish soap, and a little elbow grease. If that didn't do the trick, i'd move on to something like soft scrub. Grease comes off a lot easier with hot water, so using the hose outside may not work as good as the kitchen sink.

Another option would be to fill the bowl to the brim with soapy water and let it sit for a while. That should help with the cleaning.

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">I read about it, but worried I will lose the moisture in my meat if I dont use water or some kind of liquid. I value meat that is very moist and I assume having the water in the pan makes for more moist food. Am I right in that?
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I've seen a lot of people state that the water only serves as a buffer between the meat and the fire. So it really isn't adding/maintaining moisture in your meat. Then there are others that will say the opposite. Personally I wouldn't worry about it effecting the moisture level in your meat.

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">And lastly, how much does everyone actually clean their grill/pan etc? On my old smokey joe, I rarely did any maintenance on that and it has been going strong for years and years now. So just curious how detailed everyone is on cleaning their WSM.

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After a smoke I clean off the cooking grate(s) and also scrub the water pan. The inside I wouldn't worry about unless stuff is getting up real bad and possibly could lead to stuff chipping off and falling on your meat. In that case i'd probably fire it up w/o the water pan and do a high heat burn to get rid of some of the gunk.

RW... I don't use water in the pan however I foil it. I also use a clay saucer and foil it also and place hat in the pan. After cooking is done, I just remove foil from pan and saucer and refoil for next use. Some scraping or clean-up of "leakage" may be necessary.

To clean off the grill, a piece of foil is crumpled and used like a brush.

Thanks Gregg. It wont fit in my sink, so maybe I will just have to bring some hot water out of the house and pour it in.

Joe, do you find any difference in the moisture of your meat? I like my meat really moist, so not sure if that would affect it. Also, where and what kind of clay saucer do you use?

Thanks!

IMO low and slow does not dry out the meat unless overcooked. If I wanted really moist meat, I would braise it, which I do occasionally.

Go to a garden shop and check out the clay pots. The clay saucers should be nearby.

water in the pan acts as a heat sink........should not effect the moisture of what you're cooking

I've been using water for low and slow cooks and an empty pan for high heat roasts. I always use a lot of foil in the pan so clean up basically comprises of balling up the foil and throwing it away.

I'm definitely considering a large clay saucer......foiled and placed in the foiled pan. A lot of folks here are having great results with this method, eliminating the need for water in the pan.

I realize the water pan can be a booger to clean. I foil mine and after cooking, take out the foil and the gunk comes with it. I use water as a heat barrier plus gives a moisture filled cooking chamber, which IMHO keeps the bark/crust on gthe meat surface from getting dry.
I inject my pork butts, chickens, turkeys, briskets to add flavor and to add a moisture from within. I think this is the moisture benefit rather than water in the pan.

Sounds great! After much research, i think I am going to try the clay saucer next. i will prob stop by HD today to pick one up. One question on that though...does anyone have foil large enough to cover the pot or the water bowl without having to overlap? Im now worried about the grease getting through a crack in the foil and into the clay saucer. Since the 22" is so huge, my large heavy duty foil does not cover the bowl. Any suggestions??

Here's one way
Or if you're not using the bottom grate, you could use a disposable foil pan to catch most of your drippings. You can foil that and reuse.

Tim

Minimal cleanup is the BBQ tradition ...otherwise we'd cook inside! ... I use H2O, except for poultry, as the steamy, moist environment makes for rubbery skin by the end of the cook most of the water has evaporated ...as you only need 1/2 pan for most cooks ... cleanup consists of dumping the remains of the waterpan into a trash bag and wiping it out with paper towels ... brushing and wiping the grates....finish by dumping the ashes in the previously used trash bag and reassembling the cooker..VOILA!!!

Dawn Power Dissolver is your friend. I use it and SOS pads to clean the grills. I also foil a Piedmont pan and control temps with a Guru. I have been doing this for a couple years and do not miss water at all. If doing butts I don't even use a pan. Just put two butts on the top rack, watch the temp inside with a remote thermometer for a couple hours, go to bed, get up and enjoy.

I clean my water pan by firing up the gass grill. I put the water pan on the grate with some water in it and scub it with a spatula. Then I dump it into a pan.

Gasser cleans is well