Clay Pot With/Instead of the Water Pan


 
Vaughan

Vaughan

TVWBB Member
I am very new to using a WSM and have been reading many user posts. I recall, but cannot remember or find a post about using a clay pot instead of the water pan in a WSM. Are there any advantages to this? What is the purpose of using a clay pot instead of the furnished water pan? Explanations are greatly appreciated.

Ed
 
The clay saucer is used in conjunction with the water pan not instead of it. The right sized saucer will nestle inside the water pan (I have the 18" WSM) with an air space between them. Both are foiled for cleanup purposes
 
The clay saucer resting in the water pan acts as a heat sink (buffer), instead of the hastle of using water. Water is A huge sink as it takes many, many, fine BTU's to heat to boiling, thus evening out spikes and drops in temps during a long cook.
The clay saucer will act in the same manner but to a lesser degree.
Most here would agree that a new user would benefit from using water at first.
 
^^^What Mike said!^^^
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Thanks for the info. I have planned to use water until I get more experience with the WSM. Gonna try my first WSM pork butt this weekend...long and slow.
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<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Vaughan:
Thanks for the info. I have planned to use water until I get more experience with the WSM. Gonna try my first WSM pork butt this weekend...long and slow.
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Good plan, Vaughan, especially for just one pork butt.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Dave Russell:
^^^What Mike said!^^^
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What size saucer do you recommend for a 22.5 WSM?
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Rory Braunstein:
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Dave Russell:
^^^What Mike said!^^^
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</div></BLOCKQUOTE>

What size saucer do you recommend for a 22.5 WSM? </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Don't have one, Rory, but I read where someone used a 16" one.

If I did have the big WSM, I'm pretty sure I'd use water in the pan. Since the pan is so big, it's gonna be harder to keep drippings from seeping through seams in the foil and burning. Maybe there's a trick to it, but you're going to use a lot of foil. Besides, since I'd rarely use both grates, I'd want the moisture from the water pan. The bigger the cooker is, the more meat you need for the right amount of moisture...unless you got a big ole steaming water pan. Of course, if you foil during the cook you want quicker bark formation...so you might not want water in the pan.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Dave Russell:
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Rory Braunstein:
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Dave Russell:
^^^What Mike said!^^^
icon_smile.gif
</div></BLOCKQUOTE>

What size saucer do you recommend for a 22.5 WSM? </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Don't have one, Rory, but I read where someone used a 16" one.

If I did have the big WSM, I'm pretty sure I'd use water in the pan. Since the pan is so big, it's gonna be harder to keep drippings from seeping through seams in the foil and burning. Maybe there's a trick to it, but you're going to use a lot of foil. Besides, since I'd rarely use both grates, I'd want the moisture from the water pan. The bigger the cooker is, the more meat you need for the right amount of moisture...unless you got a big ole steaming water pan. Of course, if you foil during the cook you want quicker bark formation...so you might not want water in the pan. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Dave,

Thanks for the reply. I've been cooking on the WSM for a little over a year now and have always used a full water pan except for chicken cooks. Disposing of the water is a pain in the neck, so I am intrigued by the idea of going waterless.

I need to find out what size saucer works best for the 22.5 and if there are issues with longer/overnight cooks.

Take care.
 
Rory, regarding chicken and the water pan, I was in the same boat. I went over a year cooking on my wsm before I even TRIED chicken with water in the pan. Now I know that it's worth the trouble though, because the steam from the water pan most definately helps keep the chicken's surface moist. This hasn't been a fluke, and I even skipped the water a few cooks back since I'd been cooking ribs with no water. I pulled the ribs off and foiled, finishing in the oven while I smoked the chicken, and sure enough, the chicken was noticeably drier. Next cook though, I simply took my ECB pan out with the clay saucer when I took the spares inside to finish in the oven foiled. I put my Weber pan in place and filled half way with water and smoked 10 lbs of leg quarters...well, even though I overcooked 'em since I was using a cheap therm that had gotten off, the chicken was still noticeably better than not using water.

I'm not suggesting you should shoot for really low temps, as in under 250*. If you open the vents up, you'll get more steaming action, and that's what you want. My cooker cooks pretty low, so I'll only fill the pan halfway and try to smoke some where around 250*, maybe a little hotter.

Lots of folks will claim that ANYTHING you cook on the wsm will end up more moist if using water in the pan, but what's happening is that the steam inhibits bark formation or keeps it softer since there's more moisture on the meats surface....and you want some bark. How much is a matter of preference, but if I'm smoking CHICKEN on the wsm, there's either water in the pan or no pan at all.
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Rory,
Overnight cooks should be just as easy or easier as you've done before. You should have less fuel consumption because your not heating up water. Break out your tape measure, take some measurements,and take it with you to the store. IMO, you want the clay pot to "nest" inside of the water pan. I've also heard a 16 works but I have yet to do it with my 22.

I've cooked on my 18 with a pizza stone in the pan, it makes cleanup very very very easy. You'll never go back to water. Speaking of that curious as to what is the "right amount of moisture?"

Dennis
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by D Schatte:
...Speaking of that curious as to what is the "right amount of moisture?"

Dennis </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Dennis, regarding bbq, I guess it's whatever still gives you good bark. To my tastes though, regarding smoked chicken, the more steaming, the better. If I want dry crisp chicken skin, I'll grill it or cook it directly over the coals HH.

Chris Lilly and others will tell you that the bigger the cooker is, the more meat you need to avoid low humidity in the cooker. Chris suggests adding water pans to a large cooker if cooking relatively small amounts of 'q.

Every time I've heard or read where some pitmaster was bragging about their pit, other than regarding temp control and evenness, it was about how much moisture the cooker held. How much? Well, so much as that visible steam is a good thing.
 
I believe a 19" clay saucer will fit perfectly in a 22.5" WSM however they are near impossible to find (at least in CT). Home Depot's largest one is 14". A local nursery had a 16" but I eventually found a place online that had an 18" one. That was the best I could do. I ordered it a few days ago. I'm hoping with enough foil on the pan and the saucer that it will fit nice and snug.
 
Christopher - what online site did you find a 18" clay saucer on? I have drove all over looking for a saucer to fit my 22" WSM and best I could find was a 16". I have been foiling my water pan and filling with sand to use as the heat sink...so for, so good...but would rather use a 18-19" clay saucer.
 
I've been using a clay saucer in place of water in my 18" WSM for several years.
I got a 22" WSM this spring and wanted the same set up. Places like Lowes, HD and Wallymart do not carry the size you'll need. I ended up finding what I needed at a large nursery store. The one that fits best is 19” edge to edge of the rim. In fact I don’t use the water pan at all, this size saucer sits perfectly on the tabs that hold the water pan. If I put the water pan in and then set the saucer in the lower grate ends up sitting on the saucer so I ditched the water pan altogether. I formed several layers of XL tinfoil onto the saucer, then lay a few sheets on top of those every cook, folding the edges down around the saucer and the water pan tabs. Once all the drippings are cool/firm I only pull the ones I added to clean everything up.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by D Schatte:
Rory,
Overnight cooks should be just as easy or easier as you've done before. You should have less fuel consumption because your not heating up water. Break out your tape measure, take some measurements,and take it with you to the store. IMO, you want the clay pot to "nest" inside of the water pan. I've also heard a 16 works but I have yet to do it with my 22.

I've cooked on my 18 with a pizza stone in the pan, it makes cleanup very very very easy. You'll never go back to water. Speaking of that curious as to what is the "right amount of moisture?"

Dennis </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Dennis,

Thanks for the info. I'll look for something in the 16"-19" range. Do you know of any issues regarding heavy overnight cooks? Can the saucer handle a lot of grease/drippings?

Thanks.

-Rory
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Rory Braunstein:
Dennis,

Thanks for the info. I'll look for something in the 16"-19" range. Do you know of any issues regarding heavy overnight cooks? Can the saucer handle a lot of grease/drippings?

Thanks.

-Rory </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

I’ve done ~60lbs of butts at once (three on each grill) and the drippings don’t even come close to filling the 19” saucer, at most it was ½ full.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Rory Braunstein:
Chris,

Did you get your saucer? Are you happy with the fit? Where did you order from? Thanks!

-Rory </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Rory,

I got the saucer about 2 months ago but with my busy schedule I just never had a weekend to even use it until today. I kept in the box for safe keeping. When I took it out today I saw that it was in pieces. I was very disappointed. Guess I should have checked it when I got it. What a waste of money.

I got it from this web site

http://www.starnursery.com/18-...ra-cotta-saucer.html

I'm tempted to try again but reading about sand has me intrigued.
 
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