Use water pan?


 

Morrey Thomas

TVWBB Super Fan
I have used my Weber kettle grill as a smoker with an insert called the Smokenator. This device held coals (Minion method) to the side with a water pan on top of coals to add moisture in the cooking chamber. I am upgrading to a WSM now. Reading the directions, if I use the water pan it is called steaming and not smoking or barbequing. My goal is to create fork tender pork butts by cooking them low and slow for around 12 hours at 225 degrees. Question.....do I use the water pan? I don't like the terminology "steaming" they use in the directions of the WSM.
 
I think one of the reasons bullet shaped smokers have a water pan is to act as a heat-sink to counteract the fire being directly below the meat. Water does evaporate and potentially adds moisture to the meat but it is in no way steaming, IMO.

I have cooked pork butts with water in the pan, an empty pan lined with foil, and just the bare empty pan. All turned out great BBQ. I cook them at 225 grate temp (about 250 lid temp) for 12-16 hours and they more or less fall apart just looking at them.

Regardless, don't run the smoker without the pan in place. It keeps grease off the coals and even an empty one provides some heat shielding.
 
Now that you have your WSM assembled you should throw away the instructions that came with it.

Using the water pan (with or without water) isn't steaming. It's just a baffle for the direct heat, and a heat sink if you put water in it.

If you cook pork butts for 12 hours without a water pan in place you will burn the crap out of the bottom of them.
 
Also, use 12 hours as a guide if you want but make sure the butts are as tender as you want before you take them off the heat. It can take much longer than 12 hours, or shorter. Just pay attention to the meat itself.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Dave from Denver:
Also, use 12 hours as a guide if you want but make sure the butts are as tender as you want before you take them off the heat. It can take much longer than 12 hours, or shorter. Just pay attention to the meat itself. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Yep; forgot to mention that. I tend to pull them off at between 200-210F internal temperature. The bone comes out clean and they nearly pull themselves apart. Early on, I took one off when the temp hit 190F and had a very hard time pulling it apart. It can take a few hours before the temp makes that final bump.
 
Guys...I surely appreciate the feedback and encouragement. The term "steaming" in the directions kinda shook me. I am totally with you on the correct time to pull the meat. I use a Redi-Check meat probe and pull the butts at 195, then foil them and let them rest in my insulated Cambro food carrier. They are usually as tender as a mother's love!
Appreciate the advice to use the pan as a heat shield or as a moisture provider. Makes perfect sense that it will scorch heck out of the meat if cooked directly over the coals that long.
Thanks guys!
 

 

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