Clay Disc vs. Water Bowl
- Thread starter TGraham
- Start date
Jim Lampe
TVWBB 1-Star Olympian
TG, try using water in your water pan.
Then, try not using water, just an empty pan.
Then, get, if you really want to, get a "clay saucer" (I call it a Terra Cotta planter tray) of a size that'll fit INSIDE the waterpan. And try that.
There are some many SO MANY people here that try one way and love it and others that like doing it another way.
Ya know, it is only up to how YOU like it. Whatever works for YOU. No one way is the right way.
I use an empty waterpan.
Then, try not using water, just an empty pan.
Then, get, if you really want to, get a "clay saucer" (I call it a Terra Cotta planter tray) of a size that'll fit INSIDE the waterpan. And try that.
There are some many SO MANY people here that try one way and love it and others that like doing it another way.
Ya know, it is only up to how YOU like it. Whatever works for YOU. No one way is the right way.
I use an empty waterpan.
It's a terra cotta saucer like this - http://www.amazon.com/Terra-Co...86292&sr=8-1-catcorr
For an 18", either a 12.5" or 14" works, depending on how you like the way it fits.
The main reason for the water is to help control temperatures. But water can be messy to clean up.
Once you become adept at controlling temps, you could switch to an empty pan or sand or a clay saucer. Either way, foil them up.
The sand and clay provide a thermal mass to help control temps but could make it harder to recover from an over-temp situation. You lose the 'safety' that water provides but clean up and prep are much easier.
As Jim says, whatever works for you.
For an 18", either a 12.5" or 14" works, depending on how you like the way it fits.
The main reason for the water is to help control temperatures. But water can be messy to clean up.
Once you become adept at controlling temps, you could switch to an empty pan or sand or a clay saucer. Either way, foil them up.
The sand and clay provide a thermal mass to help control temps but could make it harder to recover from an over-temp situation. You lose the 'safety' that water provides but clean up and prep are much easier.
As Jim says, whatever works for you.
MKEvenson
TVWBB Wizard
TG, I have only used water in my pan once. I will not do it again. Living in a residential neighborhood there is no appropriate way to dispose of the water after the cook. With foil I just let it get cold, wrapp it up and boom it's gone. To the land fill, to fertilize the earth.
Heat control is not a problem if one takes some initial steps and trys not to over shoot.
Mark
Heat control is not a problem if one takes some initial steps and trys not to over shoot.
Mark
RichPB (richlife)
TVWBB Wizard
As has been said, it's all your choice and in the end the only answer is to try the various methods out and decide what you "like" or is more convenient. I've tried water and saucer and like water better so far.
As far as foiling, that's another personal preference. Some think it helps cleanup. Some think it somehow protects the finish (but Weber never included foiling in their testing or instructions). I think the time to foil (and the cost over time) is probably not worth it, but I'm still experimenting. Today I'm using water with foil over the TOP of the water pan. I pressed the foil in so that it makes a basin about 2" deep and put 4 small holes at the edges to allow water vapor to escape (that's in addition to the two small holes used in the coating process. What I'd like to see is basically clean water with the fat caught in the foil. I don't foil the bottome of the water pan because it makes just as much or more of a mess with foil as it does without.
Rich
As far as foiling, that's another personal preference. Some think it helps cleanup. Some think it somehow protects the finish (but Weber never included foiling in their testing or instructions). I think the time to foil (and the cost over time) is probably not worth it, but I'm still experimenting. Today I'm using water with foil over the TOP of the water pan. I pressed the foil in so that it makes a basin about 2" deep and put 4 small holes at the edges to allow water vapor to escape (that's in addition to the two small holes used in the coating process. What I'd like to see is basically clean water with the fat caught in the foil. I don't foil the bottome of the water pan because it makes just as much or more of a mess with foil as it does without.
Rich
I did about 4-5 cooks with the water pan w/o any foil. Man what a PIA it was to clean up the mess after I was done.
I picked up a 14" clay saucer from Home Depot a few weeks ago and have done 2-3 smokes using it. I foiled it and set it in the water bowl.
I will never go back to water again.
As long as you are comfortable with the smoker and how to control the heat, making the switch isn't hard. I just noticed it comes up to temp a lot faster, minimal adjustments make a big difference, and I only need to use one vent (the other two are closed) to control the temp.
And clean up is a breeze. Just ball up the foil and wrap it again (wrap it twice. For some reason once isn't enough).
Also I use a lot less charcoal during my smokes now. I filled a ring on my 18" with some chunks and charcoal, started via minion method, and smoked for 13+ hours. There was still a decent amount of coals left. None of them whole....but enough to surprise me.
I picked up a 14" clay saucer from Home Depot a few weeks ago and have done 2-3 smokes using it. I foiled it and set it in the water bowl.
I will never go back to water again.
As long as you are comfortable with the smoker and how to control the heat, making the switch isn't hard. I just noticed it comes up to temp a lot faster, minimal adjustments make a big difference, and I only need to use one vent (the other two are closed) to control the temp.
And clean up is a breeze. Just ball up the foil and wrap it again (wrap it twice. For some reason once isn't enough).
Also I use a lot less charcoal during my smokes now. I filled a ring on my 18" with some chunks and charcoal, started via minion method, and smoked for 13+ hours. There was still a decent amount of coals left. None of them whole....but enough to surprise me.