22" WSM with ATC


 
R

Ryan Reuter

New member
I have a 22" WSM and I recently received my Rock's Stoker. I have read around on here about the debate between using an empty pan or a heat sink like a clay pot.

My question is, do people believe in water panning as a means to not only control the temp, but for preventing moisture withdraw?

I have always water panned when doing low temp cooks and I'm one of those guys that believes in the humidity for better smoke ring penetration and moister meat. I intend on doing a brisket this weekend and am debating about going with an empty pan or filling it with water.

The reason I'm so tempted to go empty is due to less fuel consumption and with an ATC, maintaining temps isn't a problem. What are your opinions on water panning as compared to dry cooks?


Thanks,

Ryan
 
I recently got a digiQ for my 18.5 and had read pros and cons of the water pan. I asked one of the guys at guru and was told that he used water for butts and briskets but just foil for ribs, chicken, and loins. I didn't ask the reasoning.
 
I am considering the same issue at the moment. I recently read the Harry Soo interview, near the bottom of the forum. In the article he claims that he never uses water, favoring to foil the pan for easy clean up. I also noticed that he claims to always foil pork and beef with some liquid and possibly a natural tenderizer. I'm considering using a foiled pan on an upcoming brisket and foiling the brisket at some point during the smoke. I'm going to try it on a rack of spare ribs this weekend.

Disclaimer: I'm new to the WSM and have only used it once. I cooked a rib roast. The target temp was 350, and I had a little trouble keeping it above 325. Your mileage WILL vary.
 
I have an 18" with a Stoker and I don't use any heat sink (water, clay, sand etc...). I don't prescribe to any water pan/moisture/ring theories but that's my own opinion. A sink will eat up more fuel and will increase your time to reach temperature. It will also limit your ability to hit high temps.

All that said, play around a bit and see what you like best. My methods tend to change a little bit with each cook depending on a number of factors.
 
Thanks for the input. Right now, I'm leaning towards just a foiled pan this weekend. That's the way I do it when I high temp stuff like pizza and poultry and since I won't have to worry about run away temps, I'll give it a shot with my brisket.

I'm really the most curious on fuel consumption. If I can use less fuel, hit the temp that I want, and feel that the absence of steam inside of the smoker doesn't impact my food; I will likely stick with an empty pan.

I discussed it with a friend today and the argument of wanting the steam / water pan for that heat buffer came up but I won't be lifting the lid to check my temps anymore since I'm using a stoker. He doesn't feel I will use less fuel but my argument is that there are times I know that I'm giving my coals enough air to hit temps probably in the 250 - 275 range but am locked in at 225 or so due to the water pan. I think I will use a bit less fuel but can't comment as I haven't done a low and slow cook with an empty pan yet.
 
You can't help but use more fuel with water in the system. The larger thermal mass requires more energy to warm up. That energy comes from the fuel combustion. That's why the water works so well in this system; it's a heat shield for indirect cooking AND a ballast that acts as heat source/sink to counter natural fluctuation in the fire. Water specifically will be a good regulator of temps around 212 where as clay will continue to absorb and radiate heat far above that point. That said, the system is intrinsically stable even without the ballast, particularly with an ATC.

I'm not going to make the water/no water decision based on saving 20 coals though. Mess and results are more important to me than that little amount of fuel conservation. It's basically a personal preference. I found foiling the pan and replacing it a couple times a season much easier than having to check on water levels and disposal of waste water with each cook. I also found that I liked the bark more without water.
 
I mostly agree with Rob on the clean up but can't comment on the science. The empty pan clean up is very simple. I foil inside the pan but not outside since the outside really frustrates me with the larger pan on the newer WSM. It's really just laziness on my part.
Maybe I misunderstood Rob's comment about "foiling the pan and replacing it a couple times a season". I change the foil after every cook as I think most of us do.
As for bark, I haven't noticed any real difference wet vs. dry. To be honest, the best bark I've ever had came from offset grill cooks on my gasser with foil smoke bags before I bought my WSM, no liquid at all.
I'm doing spares tomorrow with the Stoker (I usually don't use the ATC on ribs if I'm around to tend to the cook but I have errands and a cold, wet day in store).

The one comment about fuel usage that I will make is that, during an overnighter, those few extra briqs or lumps saved may get you a few more winks
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Very good point about the fuel conservation buying you time and convenience, thus letting you sleep longer and/or avoid the need to replenish fuel at all. I hadn't considered that.

Guess I need to read some stuff on cleanup. Is there harm in reusing the same foiled pan for several cooks? It's a chore if it has to be every time, but I'd still rather refoil each time than find a place to dispose of the waste water and then clean the darn pan.
 
In the summer, I often times just power wash my pan when I haven't been foiling but I do replace the foil between cooks so that I'm not making smoke out of old char. Maybe I'm missing out on some nice flavor enhancements by doing so....... I too only foil the inside of the pan. I see very little purpose in doing the whole thing.

I had actually thought exactly what James had stated. That I can gain more sleep and hopefully not have to worry about a 140 degree smoker that's in need of fuel. I don't know how much more time omitting water will buy you but I'm guessing 90 min - 2hr.

One thing that I have ran into in the past, before having an ATC, is getting a nice long burn from my coal but all of the water in my pan evaporating and my pit temp shooting up. That will no longer be a problem if I do use water but it tells me that you can get by using a bit less fuel to achieve the same desired temperature. I'm eager to do it and I will post back on how it went and what my 2 cents are.
 
One thing I've never experienced when using water, even on a long cook (14hrs+), is complete water evaporation from the pan. With the big pan almost full, I have never had to add water even on an overnighter. The water does mix with drippings and I don't know how the mixture affects the sink but I've never had to add. Keeping in mind, I'm a backyard cook, this may not be the case with those that cook large volumes of meat or cook in unusual conditions.
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I don't know if there's harm in long term use of the same foil and the crap that burns into it but, since cleanup is just a toss of the foil, why not do it. I'm pretty sure you're not gaining anything from the old burnt drippings.
 
Just thought I would update as to how well the stoker worked with an empty pan. I had no issue with temp control and the bark was noticeably better. Crisper and less mushy for sure; even after foiling my brisket with some liquid at 170 degrees. I will do dry cooks on the big pieces of meat like pork butt and brisket from now on.
 
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