Scott LeRette
New member
Ive been using water and had success but see a lot of folks using the clay. Thoughts. Size for a 22.5...why and what are the bennies and tradeoffs? Thanks.
clay plate vs water in pan?
- Thread starter Scott LeRette
- Start date
Rick Body
TVWBB Pro
Benefits:
No wasting energy, thus fuel, heating and maintaining water temp
No messy clean up of the pan and disposing of the water
No having to add water during a very long cook
Tradeoffs:
With water you can usually maintain lower temps if necessary..... that's all I can think of for tradeoffs.
I really like the clay saucer, while others prefer water. Some still say the water pan adds moisture to the meat.
These are just a few I can think of right now. I'm sure others will chime in.
No wasting energy, thus fuel, heating and maintaining water temp
No messy clean up of the pan and disposing of the water
No having to add water during a very long cook
Tradeoffs:
With water you can usually maintain lower temps if necessary..... that's all I can think of for tradeoffs.
I really like the clay saucer, while others prefer water. Some still say the water pan adds moisture to the meat.
These are just a few I can think of right now. I'm sure others will chime in.
Dave Russell
TVWBB Honor Circle
Scott, the one I use for my 22 is 16", and I snapped some photos for ya since I needed to set up for my next brisket cook, anyway. As you can see, it lays nicely in the bottom of the water pan, and I like it to wrap it up good in foil.
Next, I'll stretch a sheet of foil over the top of the water pan in case that my main layer of foil leaks. Ignore this part if you splurge and find some 24" foil.
Next, I pull off a couple of sheets, stack them, and fold over and over to create a nice seam. Usually I can get a smoother one, but I guess I had a bit too much coffee this morning.
Next I carefully center my seam over the single sheet layer of foil and crimp around the pan. It's hard to tell from the photo, but there IS a dimple to catch the drippings from my brisket. If I was cooking a case of butts, I would've created more of one to catch all of the drippings, which can be quite a lot if you use the 22 to it's full potential.
Clay pot base pros:
Helps even out the temps over the course of the cook, and especially helpful in windy weather.
Helps even out the cooking, especially in how things aren't quite as stubborn on the bottom rack compared to the top rack as when cooking with a dry, foiled pan. The pan now releases heat, not just deflecting the air around the bottom grate.
Crisper fat caps and bark than with water in the pan.
Ability to cook at higher temps.
Cooker comes back to temp quicker after removing the dome than if just using an empty foiled pan.
Cooker will use significantly less charcoal than if using water in the pan.
Generally prevents the "brown stuff" inside the dome that can come from the moist smoke of water pan cooks.
No need to clean water pan, assuming the foil doesn't leak.
Cons:
Can break if dropped.
Not as effective a heat sink as one that will never exceed 212* or so if desiring to cook at 225-250.
Very slow for temp to fall in the case of a temp spike....which means one much be very careful in how long the lid is open.
Less moisture in the cooker means that it's easier for the exterior of the meat to dry out, especially if cooking too slow or too fast.
Easier to oversmoke, since water in the pan "washes" the smoke to some degree.
Drippings can smoke if they get too hot, attracting more flies and changing the smoke flavor a bit.
There ya have it, but I'm sure I left something out. There is no "magic saucer". They'll EVENTUALLY get as hot as the rest of the cooker, IMHO, and I think there's no better way to go than water in the pan for overnighters unless using an ATC. However, the clay pot base really helps in windy conditions and to even out cooking on the grates, as long as the charcoal is managed properly. I really like being able to cook in the 250-275 zone or even hotter, which is simply very inefficient when using water in the pan. Good luck with it.
Next, I'll stretch a sheet of foil over the top of the water pan in case that my main layer of foil leaks. Ignore this part if you splurge and find some 24" foil.
Next, I pull off a couple of sheets, stack them, and fold over and over to create a nice seam. Usually I can get a smoother one, but I guess I had a bit too much coffee this morning.
Next I carefully center my seam over the single sheet layer of foil and crimp around the pan. It's hard to tell from the photo, but there IS a dimple to catch the drippings from my brisket. If I was cooking a case of butts, I would've created more of one to catch all of the drippings, which can be quite a lot if you use the 22 to it's full potential.
Clay pot base pros:
Helps even out the temps over the course of the cook, and especially helpful in windy weather.
Helps even out the cooking, especially in how things aren't quite as stubborn on the bottom rack compared to the top rack as when cooking with a dry, foiled pan. The pan now releases heat, not just deflecting the air around the bottom grate.
Crisper fat caps and bark than with water in the pan.
Ability to cook at higher temps.
Cooker comes back to temp quicker after removing the dome than if just using an empty foiled pan.
Cooker will use significantly less charcoal than if using water in the pan.
Generally prevents the "brown stuff" inside the dome that can come from the moist smoke of water pan cooks.
No need to clean water pan, assuming the foil doesn't leak.
Cons:
Can break if dropped.
Not as effective a heat sink as one that will never exceed 212* or so if desiring to cook at 225-250.
Very slow for temp to fall in the case of a temp spike....which means one much be very careful in how long the lid is open.
Less moisture in the cooker means that it's easier for the exterior of the meat to dry out, especially if cooking too slow or too fast.
Easier to oversmoke, since water in the pan "washes" the smoke to some degree.
Drippings can smoke if they get too hot, attracting more flies and changing the smoke flavor a bit.
There ya have it, but I'm sure I left something out. There is no "magic saucer". They'll EVENTUALLY get as hot as the rest of the cooker, IMHO, and I think there's no better way to go than water in the pan for overnighters unless using an ATC. However, the clay pot base really helps in windy conditions and to even out cooking on the grates, as long as the charcoal is managed properly. I really like being able to cook in the 250-275 zone or even hotter, which is simply very inefficient when using water in the pan. Good luck with it.
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Khanh Hoang
TVWBB Fan
What are your thoughts on a cast iron pan? instead of a clay
Dave Russell
TVWBB Honor Circle
That would work, and it wouldn't ever break, either.
Dustin Dorsey
TVWBB Hall of Fame
It seems like it would be harder to cool down if you have a temp spike with a clay pot instead of just a foiled pan. I like to do overnight cooks and I'm philosophically opposed to ATC's (for myself, I don't care if anyone else uses them). I've had some success with just a foiled pan but I may go back to water. Yeah clean up is a pain, but its not that much bigger of a pain. Figuring out where to pour it is the biggest problem. I'm may try the clay pot thing because cooling these things down after a temp spike is a PAIN! With an offset you can just open the door and that's absolutely the wrong thing with a vertical smoker, lol.
Dave Russell
TVWBB Honor Circle
Dustin, if you like to cook overnight, I highly recommend water, and I like your thinking. You might just trim more fat off to help in crisping. Your concerns of how long a clay pot base stays hot after a temp spike is very warranted, and I can't stress enough how water makes for a good, even cooking environment where things tend to get done around the same time. Sure, you'll use a lot more charcoal, but it's relatively cheap, and thankfully, Weber put a big door on it to make refueling easy. If I don't use water in the pan, it's because I'm using my ATC or cooking 250*+ by day.
Mike Batsarisakis
TVWBB Super Fan
I use the clay pot and have been doing so for about 5 years. It holds the temp better and keeps my wsm at 225 to 250. On my last smoke, I cooked 4 butts. Put the butts on the smoker at 11:30 pm and went to sleep. I woke up at 8:00 am and the smoker was right at 225! No draft device used. I am convinced the clay pot works real well.
Gary S
TVWBB Guru
These discussions come up quite often. I don't believe there is a right or better answer, it's all about your own technique and how you are operating your smoker. I am 100% in agreement with Dave Russell. I do not have the 22 any longer but rather the 18 and there are times when I prefer water other times not. Handling water with the 22 is a PIA given the shape of the bowl.