Is the water pan even necessary at all?


 
T

Tommy M

New member
I am curious if anyone has tried smoking in the WSM with no water pan or any other radiant heat barrier.
Just letting the drippings hit the charcoal.

What was your opinion of the results?

I mainly smoke pork butts and ribs.

Thanks for your responses.
 
I think the water pan is the "indirect" portion of the indirect smoker. NOt having something there would make it a direct grill wouldn't it?
 
Well, most UDS smokers will let the drippings directly hit the charcoal. Just foil line the water pan and set her in there.....works well for me.

I had a BDS for about -3- years and the family revolted because of the heavy smoke flavor it produced.
 
You may get pages of response or not to you question but this topic is a matter of personal preference. You need to try both methods and make your own decision. The biggest issue with water is the clean up. A foiled clay saucer works very well. Some use other heat sinks. There is no right or wrong answer to this question, it's a matter of choice for whatever reason. I like a clay saucer for the butts and water for the ribs. That's only me.
 
I have done ribs twice without the pan, and will probably never cook ribs again with a pan. I've also cooked chicken several times without the pan. I've never tried a butt or brisket without a pan, but I cooked them several times on a UDS without any kind of pan and it worked fine.

I'm definitely going to experiment more without the pan, especially with a brisket.
 
I would think not having the pan would create a mess to clean up in the charcoal bowl. For something small, probably no big deal, but a couple of butts or more and I think you'd have a mess. Granted, the mess may not be as bad as dealing with a water pan, but I'd have a pan in there to cathc the drippings to avoid the mess and the possiblilty of a pretty substantial fire.
 
I have a foil lined pan soaking with soapy water right now because the drippings got around the foil and burned on.
 
i admit that i don't enjoy the cleanup of the water pan on my wsm, but i prefer to use it and have it add moisture to the air and as a result the meat i am smoking. if i were to ever cook without water in the pan, i guess i would just swap it out for a aluminum pan you could find at a grocery store for $2 and place that directly under the meat to catch the drippings. personally, i would never let my drippings fall onto the charcoal because there would be a mess to clean up and i just don't think that is the way weber intended the wsm to work at its optimal level. just mho.
 
I agree with Jerry. I always cook at least a minimum of two butts. By the time they cook down there is a heck of a lot of fat that drips off. I use a foiled pan. Can't imagine the mess without the pan.
Jerry N. said:
I would think not having the pan would create a mess to clean up in the charcoal bowl. For something small, probably no big deal, but a couple of butts or more and I think you'd have a mess. Granted, the mess may not be as bad as dealing with a water pan, but I'd have a pan in there to cathc the drippings to avoid the mess and the possiblilty of a pretty substantial fire.
Click to expand...
 
I always cook chicken and sausage without a water pan using the top grill only, but so far have always used the pan with butts and ribs.
 
Thanks again for your input everyone.
Especially Tom M and John Bridgman. I was hoping more people had actually tried this so I could benefit from several people's experience. I think I will try it with some items that don't have a ton of fat and just see how it goes. I realize that any significant buildup is a fire hazard. I guess this kind of use would qualify as more of a "pit" smoker and definately not indirect. I do know one thing for sure... My new WSM is one of the best investments I have ever made. I wish all my decisions turned out as well. I appreciate this forum and all the people here. You folks helped me make the decision to turn loose of $400 and I am very happy that I did.
 
To late but i do like John Bridgman. Never tryed anything but chicken/sausage/country style ribs this way though. You should send a PM to Noe. Or hope he will give his 2 cents on this. Couse his water pan looks like new :D

Try it out. I know i will next rib cook.
 
I was pretty skeptical about clay saucer cooking, but, now, I use it almost exclusively for ribs, because getting my 18.5" to run at 250 or so is no problem when 1) using the Minion Method and 2) shutting vents down around 215. (PS When "dry panning" it, the WSM will run ~25 degrees warmer with direct sunlight. Or, at least the lid says so.) The ribs are knockouts.

For low & slow brisket (overnight), it's water in the pan all the way.

Love the WSM's versatility!
 
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