no water pan or saucer


 
Dave O (Alaska)

Dave O (Alaska)

TVWBB Pro
is it necessary to have the water pan or a plate of some sort to deflect heat in the WSM? With no heat deflector will the temps be too high on the bottom side of the meat? I would only be using the top grate.

dave
 
depends on your cook...
what you cookin'?
ribs?
brisket?
butt?
chicken?
can't use too much fuel for low and slo for those plates without a waterpan in place (MT or not)...
 
Welcome Dave O, I'm sure the Pro's here can help. Jim being one of them.
wsmsmile8gm.gif
 
Dave,there are people who just use the bottom vents to control their temps,but I think they are a small minority. Most people start with water in the pan(as the WSM was made to be used),then move to a solid heat sink like a clay saucer or sand. There is also the Piedmont pan method,two water pans bolted together with a space of an inch or so between the two pans. You just need to get feel for the WSM and how it cooks in your conditions,then figure out what works best for you. Lets us know what you decide.
 
I was going to try with a brisket or pork butt.
i think the UDS smokers have nothing between the meat and the heat but they are much bigger units.
(I have an 18.5 WSM).
I guess I was wondering how big of a difference having an empty water pan in between would make or if it was unnecessary.

Dave
 
Without something between the charcoal and the meat part of the smoke comes from the fat dripping onto the charcoal. This changes the flavor. When I tried smoking without a waterpan I was able to control the temperature but my family did not like the taste as much. Now I use a piedmont pan. You just have to try it for yourself and see if it works for you.
 
I agree that the best advice is to simply try different methods and see what works best in what situations. Personally I use water in the pan. I often add some fresh herbs to water to add some additional favors.

Mike
 
Dave, i cook everything without the water pan, i only use the top grate, uses a lot less fuel, very easy to control temps, can raise or lower temp in a couple of minutes. Try some beer butt chicken and see how you like it, chicken is cheap. Good Luck!
 
Dave O, I'm a diehard tinkerer and that applies to the WSM, too. I've dry panned, saucered and done the regular old water-in-the-pan route. Today, I'm with the last one (water). As some sage person on this board said once (regarding using a saucer, etc), "Seems like they're trying to fix a nonexistant problem." I think he's right.
 
I also prefer to use the water as I like the stability. However, I recently purchased a BBQ guru jacket for my winter smokes and with water in the pan i got a lot of condensation. I think I will try a smoke with no pan and see how it comes out. I smoked a turkey for thanksgiving with an empty pan and you can hear moisture dripping and evaporating. The turkey came out with good flavor, although I guess it wasn't actually burning since it didn't hit the coals.
Turkey is also a relatively short cook.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Noe:
Dave, i cook everything without the water pan, i only use the top grate, uses a lot less fuel, very easy to control temps, can raise or lower temp in a couple of minutes. Try some beer butt chicken and see how you like it, chicken is cheap. Good Luck! </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Got any pics of your modified 18" to 22" WSM setup?
 
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