Dry water pan question


 

Fred BW

TVWBB Fan
I did 5 slabs of ribs on my 18 WSM yesterday.(I don't think i would want to try 6) I have been doing it only a couple slabs at a time in the past,with good results,no water in the water pan. But yesterday most of while they were cooking i got a burn't bacon smell. After cleaning things up today,i realized the smell was coming from grease drippings burning in the water pan. It never happened with only a couple slabs for some reason.
I normally do ribs at 275,but yesterday when i smelled the smell,i backed off the heat to 225 -250. You can't taste it(or I can't anyway). Yes,I foil the water pan,and some grease got between the seams,but i don't feel that is what really caused it.
I am starting to see where a Pizza pan in the water pan might help hold the grease off the bottom so the grease doesn't burn.
I feel it happened because with 5 slabs I had a lot more meat(and grease),and had to have a hotter fire to maintain temp/hence the burning grease. But IDUNO. Anybody got any bulletproof methods to keep this from happening,besides using water in the water pan?
TIA... Fred
 
Might have had a pin hole in the foil to let the grease get to the bowl? I would assume you clean the bowl (between smokes) regardless of the fact that you foiled it.

I use a foiled saucer in the pan and still get drippings in the bottom of the (unfoiled) bowl. But I don't usually go above 250. I have about 1/4-1/2" of gunk down there and it doesn't burn on me (though it is pretty "stiff").

If you're going to continue just foiling the bowl, clean it after every (or every other) smoke. Go ahead, put 6 racks in there. Going from 5 to 6 will not affect heat levels.
 
No there wasn't a pinhole,but as i wrote. Grease got through between the seams. I guess that IS the problem. I think I am going to find a Pizza pan,or big saucer though. While you can't taste the burnt grease,it smells pretty bad.
 
You can suspend the foil above the bottom of the pan. Maybe some loosely balled up foil underneath for support? The air gap between foil and pan will minimize burning.
 
I don’t go to the extent of folding the foil, I simply cross them, since it’s really there to just keep grease off the ceramic, I wasn’t too concerned about a seal, simply create a “Goo” barrier. It’s not perfect but, the saucers are about ten bucks and I’m cheap, prefer not to replace until it breaks.
 
1 sheet of 18" foil will cover the top of the pan with a slight depression like 1'' to 2" on a 18.5" like the OP has.
I just lay mine on, push down and crimp the sides.

Tim
 
The OP would rather not use water, so ...:)

Tim

Yeah, I got that. I was just trying to explain why I use tape on foil... :)

So, now that I'm back here...when people use sand do they just let it keep in the pan until it's all grease-laden or do they scoop it out after every smoke like cleaning kitty litter?
 
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I must be the laziest of all, lol. I smoke with an empty pan and criss-cross two pieces of Reynolds 18" grill foil. Whether I use the 22" or down to the 14" the pans rarely have any soil whatsoever; when they do it requires nothing more than a single paper towel wipe.
 
OK, I'll bite? So you are not using water in the pan. Got that............so why even put the pan in the smoker? Let the drippings hit the charcoal.....more smoke.

CraigH in La Pine,
 
so why even put the pan in the smoker?

That's a good question but my election to use the pan is based on the fact that I use WSM's and also a PBC. I'm persuaded that the PBC yields a different flavor because of drippings hitting the coals. Sometimes, I'm okay with that flavor but more oft than not I prefer to avoid it and I can easily do so with my WSM's because of the pan. I'll let others answer as to the possibility of it creating a barrier, or indirect environment. Too, I would have to question drippings (i.e. flareups) impact on temp stability and longevity of the burn.
 
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OK, I'll bite? So you are not using water in the pan. Got that............so why even put the pan in the smoker? Let the drippings hit the charcoal.....more smoke.

CraigH in La Pine,

Indirect heat. There are times I put water in my water pan. But i don't for ribs. A smoker is more or less designed to cook at lower temps. With grease dripping down. Fire flare ups make the temp harder to keep cooler,and constant.
One of the main reasons I bought a WSM in the first place was the water pan. I was convinced it was absolutely needed,just because it made sense steam rising up would keep things moist. Until I started reading through the threads here,and read Harry Soo's methods. So I tried a few things with no water,and low and behold I agreed water in the water pan is not needed for the most part. But some sort of shield to block the direct heat from the coals is (except for chicken).:) Your mileage may vary:D
 
OK, I'll bite? So you are not using water in the pan. Got that............so why even put the pan in the smoker? Let the drippings hit the charcoal.....more smoke.
Heat shield and to prevent grease flare ups. Plus, not all smoke is created equal. If it was you could throw handfuls of wet cat fur on the fire and get the same results.
 

 

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