Water pan cover


 
K

Keith Thompson

New member
Does anyone use this water pan cover? If so with or without water? Would like to avoid “gunking” up the water pan in my new 18.5” wsm. Have a pizza pan that fits but wondering about the depth of the pizza pan being too shallow. This seems a bit pricy, but if it works…389B1EF5-CD6F-4EC4-ACE9-01A293D9BBEB.png
 
I use that pan with foil around it & no water. I paid around $20-$25 for a 22" cover several years ago.
 
It's a popular pan, lots of folks use it.

I don't see the point of using it with water. The big benefits of water come from evaporation, which consumes excess energy and keeps the cooker temp under control, and steam which can have a positive affect on smoke ring formation. Yes, water is also a heat sink, but those cooking without water are not wanting a heat sink, they'd rather use less charcoal to run a smaller fire and control temp that way. And you can't "seal" the water underneath this pan cover, when the water reaches 212*F it's going to make steam and it's going to force its way out from around this pan cover.
 
So with no water leave the water pan out all together or just leave it under the cover pan dry? I’ve always used the water pan on the pellet smoker but hate the mess (even with foil)! I’m looking forward to trying a cook without water. Thanks for your help and advice.
 
So you're going to Gunk up the water pan cover instead..... What has that saved you?
I put some tin foil over a ceramic planter bottom..... It takes some of the baked on grease off but the planter bottom is coated in liquid like Grease.... And it stays that way. Don't bother me..

Ever seen a big commercial smoker with the grease grips into the bottom and then runs out a valve...... It never gets cleaned out. Grease from yesterday.. for the food of tomorrow......
 
MartinB said:
Ever seen a big commercial smoker with the grease grips into the bottom and then runs out a valve...... It never gets cleaned out. Grease from yesterday.. for the food of tomorrow......
Click to expand...
Not at the good joints, they clean the pits on a regular schedule. And there's a reason they're called "grease fires".

Reminds me of the episode of "Dirty Jobs" with Mike Rowe in which he goes to Old Clinton Bar-B-Que in Georgia to clean their pit. An absolutely disgusting, dirty job!
 
Keith Thompson said:
So with no water leave the water pan out all together or just leave it under the cover pan dry? I’ve always used the water pan on the pellet smoker but hate the mess (even with foil)! I’m looking forward to trying a cook without water. Thanks for your help and advice.
Click to expand...
The pan cover is intended to be used with the water pan in place. I don't think it will hang from the grill straps by itself like the water pan does.

If you leave the water pan out altogether, you're cooking the meat over direct heat, the grease drips into the fire, where some of it burns but some of it collects in the bottom of the charcoal bowl. You've just shifted your problem from the water pan to the charcoal bowl.

Folks that want to cook without the deep WSM water pan and don't want grease in the bottom of the cooker will place a shallow pan on the bottom cooking grate to catch the grease if they're only cooking on the top grate. If you want to cook on both grates, you need to come up with a replacement for the water pan. This is why people resort to things like a large, foil-wrapped terra cotta plant saucer that hangs from the grill straps, but handle carefully because they can crack. Or they find an alternative shallow water pan that can be used empty and more easily wrapped with foil. I've written about and shot several videos about alternative pans, which I'll link below.

If you don't care about grease in the bottom of the cooker, there's the FireDial which acts as a heat diffuser in place of the water pan but does nothing to control grease, as far as I can tell.

www.virtualweberbullet.com

Alternative Water Pans & Diffusers For Weber Smokers - The Virtual Weber Bullet

Alternative water pans and diffusers are discussed for the Weber Smokey Mountain Cooker that solve problems related to stock Weber water pans.
www.virtualweberbullet.com www.virtualweberbullet.com




 
Keith Thompson said:
So with no water leave the water pan out all together or just leave it under the cover pan dry? I’ve always used the water pan on the pellet smoker but hate the mess (even with foil)! I’m looking forward to trying a cook without water. Thanks for your help and advice.
Click to expand...
The first time I had to deal with a waterpan of nasty, greasy water.....was the last time. Hated it. No more water for me.
I turned the waterpan upside down foiled, (I only cook on the top grate), but as Chris mentions you then have to deal with grease drippings in the charcoal bowl. I went down the foiled terracotta pizza serving plate route.

I then bought a FireDial. I didn't like it. Twice the grease dripping through the air vents onto the unlit briqs smothered them and put the fire out mid-cook. It's now an expensive wind-chime. Back to the foiled terracotta plate.

I then had a 1/8" solid stainless steel disc made that sits snug on the water-pan tabs, and placed a cheap, disposable foil pan, almost the same size as the disc, on top to catch the grease. Any grease that finds its way onto the disc gets zapped into smoke, and the burnt remains are easily scraped off when it's cool. A negligible amount grease still finds its way into the charcoal bowl, but a cinch to deal with.

Not having a deep water-pan gives you better access to the charcoal basket through the door. It also allows you to install a larger capacity charcoal basket. I can get nearly a third more briqs in the one I have which I reckon could easily give me a 16hr+ burn time. The thought of having to refuel is never on my radar. One less thing to worry about.
 
TonyUK said:
Not having a deep water-pan gives you better access to the charcoal basket through the door. It also allows you to install a larger capacity charcoal basket. I can get nearly a third more briqs in the one I have which I reckon could easily give me a 16hr+ burn time. The thought of having to refuel is never on my radar. One less thing to worry about.
Click to expand...
Yup. I never refuel. In fact, I did a test by letting my wsm keep going after i took a pork butt off. I can make 30 hrs without refueling....thats not maximum charcoal either. More important than refueling.....i dont need to knock down ash to keep it going......thats a thing of past with extended charcoal ring and controller.
 
Mark_E said:
Harry Soo uses a dry water pan lined with foil in his WSM. https://www.youtube.com/@SlapYoDaddyBBQ/search?query=wsm hot to smoke win
Click to expand...
Yes, but in the video Harry is using the pre-2009 shallow 1-gallon water pan which is very easy to foil with a single sheet of wide aluminum foil. That's the same pan I use in my 1997 WSM today. But in 2009, Weber switched to the deep pan which is a pain to wrap with foil. Sadly, you can't buy the old pan from Weber. If I were forced to use the deep pan, I'd probably go with one of the Dutch oven liners I showed in the video linked above.
 
I purchased some Camp Chef 14 quart dutch oven liners for my post 2009 pan. Used it this weekend, dry, and what an absolute joy to clean after the cook. Take the liner out and you're done!. It fits over the lip of the bowl perfectly.
Chris Allingham said:
Yes, but in the video Harry is using the pre-2009 shallow 1-gallon water pan which is very easy to foil with a single sheet of wide aluminum foil. That's the same pan I use in my 1997 WSM today. But in 2009, Weber switched to the deep pan which is a pain to wrap with foil. Sadly, you can't buy the old pan from Weber. If I were forced to use the deep pan, I'd probably go with one of the Dutch oven liners I showed in the video linked above.
Click to expand...

Thanks Chris for your research!
 
I have one of these on my 22. I foil over it and down the sides of the water pan. No water is used in the pan. The foiled pans are then carefully put in place on the WSM hanger brackets. Making an indirect baffle.

Foil comes off at the end of the cook and every thing is clean. I use a Piedmont pan in my 18. Any liquid grease is simply dumped into my external ash bucket. Then I turn the Piedmont upside down on the fire and burn out the remnants.
 
I have a clay saucer ,and a pizza pan and have had good luck with both I seldon use water unless it is very dry day. Good luck with new pan it should be a get tool.
 
I just foil mine and put a layer of foil over the top. It creates somewhat of an air gap. I really like the idea of using water, though. It gives you a nice buffer for keeping bottom of your meat on long cooks from getting dried which can be a problem on the WSM. It's just a pain to dispose of. I actually ordered that pan and by some unfortunate turn of events, got a heavy box of a million plastic bags instead. I think it was Amazon's fault. I just got refund and never reordered it. That's basically just a pizza pan though. I bet if someone figured out what size it is, you could order one for far cheaper. All they are doing is reselling a pizza pan, they just happen to know the best size.
 
Keith Thompson said:
Does anyone use this water pan cover? If so with or without water? Would like to avoid “gunking” up the water pan in my new 18.5” wsm. Have a pizza pan that fits but wondering about the depth of the pizza pan being too shallow. This seems a bit pricy, but if it works…View attachment 68401
Click to expand...
I have that cover. I have used it over the empty water bowl and used in place of the water bowl. I have not had an issue with it staying on the brackets when I used it by itself over the fire. I was also able to control temps just as easily as when I foil topped the bowl. I like it a lot. One thing that should come in handy if I do an extended cook is that using that pan by itself opens up a lot more of the coal chamber.
 
They have two covers with handles that should fit over the 18 and 22 pans.
www.webstaurantstore.com

Pot / Pan Covers and Lids

Control evaporation and accelerate cooking of soups, stews, and sauces with pan lids and covers. These lids are made of aluminum, stainless steel, or cast iron, so you can choose one based on type of pan you're using. If your pot and cover are made o
www.webstaurantstore.com www.webstaurantstore.com

The third and sixth one.
 
Last edited:
I now use the heat shield from my 012 22.5" WSM in the water pan on my 08 18.5" WSM.
I saw somebody do something similar on here.
 
Most of us don't cook much on the lower WSM grate. If you are not using the lower grate, you can put just about any kind of pan or plate (foiled or disposable) to hold water and/or be your diffuser. Doesn't have to be the size of the bracket.

At least in the 18 WSM, ditching the overly deep pan opens up a TON of space in the charcoal chamber. Which is why I use the Firedial. $30 bucks, completely flat, and fits perfectly so you can use the lower grate.

I use mine as is. Clean up is one minute scraping with a spatula. Or you can foil it to keep clean and catch drips.

Highly recommended.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

 

Back
Top