water pan refill


 
S

Scott Hoofman

TVWBB Super Fan
I have a question for all the pork butt pros out there. Background first: put a 10.5, bone-in pork shoulder on the wsm at 4:00p (9/28). Full ring of charcol, mm method. Stablized the temp at 230ish and let her run. Got up at 4:00a the next morning. Meat temp at 172, wsm temp at 219 (grate). Noticed the water pat (brinkman) was getting very low (about 2" left), but since I wanted to bump the wsm temp up (250 or so)so I could pull the shoulder before 7:00a I decided not to put any more water in. Opened all the vents, knocked the ash down, and temp went up to 245. Pulled at 7:00a with an internal of 187. So here's my question: should I have put more water in? Or, is it okay to run the wsm dry at the end of my smoke? My charcoal was running low, so I didn't think that I would have too great of an issue with temp spikes.
 
I do exaxtly the same thing in the a.m. after an overnighter. It can make the waterpan a little more difficult to clean but it sure helps in maintaining temps with a low fuel supply.

Paul
 
Scott - in my opinion, the only purpose of the water pan is to help regulate heat... and to provide a shield from direct heat. So if you are able to get to the temps you want without water in it, or low water or full water... then it doesn't make much of a difference.
 
I concur with Adam. The water in the pan helps to not only stabilize temps, but also slows the reaction time for temp changes. During an all-nighter I rarely replace any water in the pan. I do foil both sides to make for an easier clean up. One of the things I do find during a big cook is that my pan fills up with fat, sometimes to the point that I couldn't add water if I wanted to.
 
Yeah, all that seems to have been my experience. Except, for not foiling my water pan. Had to scrub it for twenty minutes (really, I swear!)to get it clean.
 
That grill cleaning spray fromm BBQs Galore
does the job Spray it on come back in a half hour its ready for a quick scrub your done
 
I haven't filled my brinkman on a long cook yet. One time I had the door off messing with the coals. I heard this strange noise and looked around. Took me a minute to notice the water pan was pretty much empty. It was all the grease that dripped into the pan bubbling. I have to agree with adam the water is to buffer the temp. If you are staying where you want don't fill. On the other hand if it is spiking add a bit of water. That brinkman pan is the best $4 I ever spent.

Oh yea greased lightning. I am out I just came from Meijer where a buddy bought his. Do you think I could find it? Noooo. Oh well Lowes has it. I need a refill.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Bill Rickert:
I thought you only foiled the water pan inside and out when running empty. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
Some foil the inside of the water pan to make cleanup a snap.
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<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Paul G.:
... and for those without access to a BBQGalore, try Greased Lightning.

Paul </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

For those that like Greased Lightning and have a BJ's around, I just picked up a 40 ounce spray bottle and jug of 140 ounces for a fuzz under $9. I love the stuff. I don't know if this is a "bargin" or not, but I thought I would pass along the info anyway.
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