Water pan cover


 

Darren C.

TVWBB Pro
Water Pan Cover

I was browsing around Amazon this morning and ran across this water pan cover.

It seemed a bit pricey for the 22.5". Has anyone found an off the shelf pizza pan or some other serving tray that fits like this? I know a lot of people use clay pot saucers. But, I'm not particularly interested in those. I've used them and they are heavy and fragile.
 
What do you use? Whether you use water or not, you need a deflector of some sort. Having something with mass also provides some element of heat consistency. I already said I didn’t want to use a clay pot. So, that pretty much leaves sand or water. Even if I used sand in the water pan, having a pan on top makes cleanup easier.
 
You don't need the water pan in there at all....If your smoking let's say a turkey or prime rib I just put a drip pan on the second great and add a liquid so the drippings don't burn and I use that to make sure jus or gravy.
 
Darren, to your original question, I did a search and can't easily find a pizza pan that sits like a cover on the 22.5" WSM water pan. If you find something that works, let us know.

I saw a post from a member that tried replacing the water pan with a 19" pizza pan...it was a tough fit on the grill straps that hold the pan.

Some are placing pizza pans or aluminum foil pans inside the water pan as best they can, or if not cooking on the bottom grate placing a pizza pan or foil pan there, as James says.

To George, as best I understand it, these water pan covers are meant to cover empty pans or sand/rock-filled pans to keep out the grease instead of using foil. If using water in the pan, these covers interfere with evaporation, which in my view defeats the purpose of using water.
 
If I find something cheaper, I will post back to the thread. But, I can’t think of a greater resource than here. So, if no one chimes in with an OTS replacement, I’ll probably not find one either. Still not sure if I’d drop $30 on this though. When I had my 18”, I normally used the pan empty and foiled it for easy cleanup. If I use the 22” in the same fashion, I think it might be worth spending money on.

As for it impeding water escaping, I really don’t see how anything lying on top could stop steam from escaping or even slowing it down. Physics is going to win that battle. And, since so many people seem to be satisfied with no steam at all, not sure why it would be a concern to begin with. I don’t have a strong opinion one way or another about the need for a heat sink or for steam. I know other people do. But, whether you put water in the pan, sand in it or leave it empty I still see an advantage to the pan. As I mentioned, I typically used my pan empty and foiled it. But, drippings always made their way through the seams in the foil. So, I always ended up with a little puddle of crust in the bottom. I might run into the same scenario with the pan though. So, who knows?

Thanks for the replies and opinions.
 
I've read some comments from water pan cover users that sometimes they don't fit tight and drippings get past the cover and into the water pan. So it is a matter of how the cover fits your particular pan.
 
The 22.5" is a pain to foil with 18" foil, but it's something I deal with. Spending almost 30 bucks on a cover might be worth it to you or others ( and more power to ya, like my sig says), but I'll pass:)

Tim
 
So I always just use a ton of foil and cover up my water pan. What if someone made like maybe a silicone water pan cover that you just use a hose or laundry sink to clean off easily. And it slips right over the water pan. I think I want to invent something like that if it hasn’t already been invented. And if it has where can I buy it?
 
I found serving trays like this one that might work. I measure my pan yesterday. Close as I could tell, it was about 18.75" OD. There's a little ledge running around the lip edge of the pan. I'm not sure how they measure those serving trays, but I'd want the max diameter of the tray to be around 19-19.5". But, it would need to taper to rest inside the water pan. I need to get better measurements of my water pan. I kinda just rushed through it and didn't make note.
 
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No. I didn't get that far yet because I wasn't even sure if it would fit. I was just trying to see if anything existed. But, you're right, the one on Amazon might turn out to be the best deal.
 
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Ok so I found a water pan cover on amazon for the 18 which I have for $24. And with my prime it’s free shipping. Seem like a good fit to me. However don’t you want steam from the water to escape and help keep the food moist? I would have to think you would want that? I don’t quite understand not using water at all. I really do think the water keeps the food moist and helped in the cooking process. Maybe it’s a little ocd on my part thinking that the steam from the water helps the food but I have to think that it does?
 
Ok so I found a water pan cover on amazon for the 18 which I have for $24. And with my prime it’s free shipping. Seem like a good fit to me. However don’t you want steam from the water to escape and help keep the food moist? I would have to think you would want that? I don’t quite understand not using water at all. I really do think the water keeps the food moist and helped in the cooking process. Maybe it’s a little ocd on my part thinking that the steam from the water helps the food but I have to think that it does?

There are 2 reasons for the water. One is for a heat sink and temperature stabilization and the other is to help keep the food moist. Having the pan cover and the water makes little sense to me. It seems like it would just build up pressure and boil over or something.
 
I would agree. There’s a reason it’s called a water smoker. I think I want to develop a silicone wsm water pan cover.
 
I wouldn’t think the volume of steam would be impacted, maybe the velocity, but not the volume. If you trap it, you’re basically building something with explosive potential.
 
If you put a lid on a simmering pot it will eventually boil over unless you turn the flame way down.
Hard to do that on a WSM without practice.

Tim
 
Found a unfinished clay plant base at the box hardware store, cover it with foil every time, works like a jem. I’m glad someone else posted that. Got tired of the water and what to do with that greasy mess, just unfoil and toss. I found the actual pan also, trying to cut down on the clean up time and this work Dan Dee
 

 

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