Water in the pan?

[Lee Morris]

After reading numerous posts on this board, I switched to a clay saucer last spring. For the most part, I thought it worked out just fine and the clean-up was certainly easier.

Well, the last 4 or 5 times I have cooked ribs, they just seemed too dry. I don't really mean the bulk of the meat itself was dry...that would just likely be from overcooking. The meat was still tender, but the bark and the edges of the ribs were just too crispy.

I began to wonder if the water pan could have anything to do with it.

Well today I cooked 2 slabs of spares with a full water pan. BINGO!!! These were cooked perfectly! Bones easily pulled apart but there was still just a little tug to get the meat off the bone. And more importantly for this post, the bark and the edges weren't crispy.

I cooked them unfoiled the whole time at a grate temp of 238 with my Guru DigiQ.

I know that the water is not really supposed to make moisture...it's just a heat sink. But could the water in the pan actually help in this situation?

I think for butts or other large meats, the clay saucer may be fine. But for ribs, I think I'm going to stick with the good ol' water pan.

 

[Bryan S]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Lee Morris:
I began to wonder if the water pan could have anything to do with it. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
Lee, yes the pan has alot too do with it. Not the water in the pan, but the width of the pan. I use the stock WSM pan, foil lined, but no water. Now if you really want to shrink the "Hot Zone" down, then find yourself a 16" pizza stone to put in place of the WSM water pan. I use the 16" pizza stone when cold smoking items such as bacon, to knock the heat back and really shrink the "Hot Zone"

 

[Paul K]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content"> The meat was still tender, but the bark and the edges of the ribs were just too crispy. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
To me this reads as temp or duration of cook issue. Were you using the Guru for all cooks?

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">But could the water in the pan actually help in this situation? </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
Only as a heat sink. Certainly your clay saucer and a water pan could have different performance characteristics; but I don't think the mere use of water would avoid the bark or edges of meat getting 'too crispy'. Too crispy to me is too high a temp or cooked too long.

Paul