<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Joey Spain:
I definitely want to try the saucer approach. After two smokes, I really hate cleaning out the water pan with all the fat. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
Joey, there's nothing magic about a clay saucer. If you think about it, you could just cook a lot more meat for more of a heat sink than a clay saucer.
This is what I'd suggest, though, at least before you go dry on an overnighter: Make five good sized balls of aluminum foil and lay in the pan. Next, foil the pan w/ a couple of layers. Try this on a low-n-slow day cook and see how it goes. If your cooker maintains temps good, then by all means go get a saucer or a bag of sand and try that, too. (However,the thing I like about Steve Petrone's Piedmont pan is that he's not going through tin foil like a UFO conspiratist.
)
Rinsing out a water pan is the least of water's downside, to tell ya the truth. You also gotta be sure to scrape/wipe out the inside of the dome after EVERY cook or you can end up with nasty smoke flakes falling on your meat. However, the best thing about NOT using water is that you'll get better bark, which is particularly important to your ribs. Harry Soo is SO right on this, and you'll notice a BIG difference, at least if cooking ribs in the 250-275 range.
I still use water for overnight butt and brisket cooks though, as I haven't found a better heat sink than one that stays at about 212*. Find some good low ash briquettes like Stubbs or Royal Oak to use on those overnighters and mix your wood chunks in with the unlit around the outside of the ring to have even less problems. I like my sleep, and I like a happy wife.
