Water pan Replacement


 
S

Steven Tree

New member
I know this has been discussed at length but I'm looking for an easy drop in replacement for a water pan. I have an 18.5 WSM and don't like how the pan sits on the charcoal if I fill it up for a long smoke. Also the more I smoke, the less convinced I am that the water is really doing much at all. I would like some thing in there to catch drippings and provide a heat shield between the coals and meat. What have you all used?
 
The Terra Cotter Saucer, A brinkmann charcoal pan, or simply the empty water pan are the most common alternatives. Foil to avoid burning and expedite clean up.

I am starting to see some folks go UDS/PBC style and go completely diffuser-less and let the juices hit the coals for more flavor. I haven't tried this yet but it is intriguing...
 
Thanks for the responses. I think I'll grab a terra cotta saucer. It seems like a pretty quick/cheap/easy solution. Does anyone foil the saucer or just leave it as is?
 
I just foil the heat deflector that comes with the wsm. It's the very light pan that is suppose to go underneath your smoker. It is shallow so it doesn't hit the coals and it fits pretty well and collects the grease. Just foil it.
 
I'll second the Brinkman charcoal pan replacement. i think its on amazon. just make sure that you order the charcoal pan, not the water pan. I'll also agree that you don't need to cook with water. I did for a while after i first got my wsm, but now I've been converted to no water.
 
14" terra cotta isn't wide enough for my 18.5". Need a 15" but it is a brand new model so may be different than others. Saw a thread somewhere about a guy who used a round cake pan about 3" deep. Small enough to get to the coals but deep enough to put a little water in if you want. Going to find one this weekend.
 
Steven Tree said:
Thanks for the responses. I think I'll grab a terra cotta saucer. It seems like a pretty quick/cheap/easy solution. Does anyone foil the saucer or just leave it as is?
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You won't like that after it cracks. Gets spendy after a while. Think metal.
 
I've done chicken on the top grate, no pan. It changes the flavor to awesome. Not quite smoked, not quite grilled, probably not healthy. Hey I made 52, so screw it! They were whole chickens flipped and turned every 20 minutes. Cooking time is short compared to a smoke, you still use wood for smoke but it doesn't dominate the flavor the burning fat does.
 
When I had mine I started just wrapping my pan then I put the pan in the corner and just cooked over the coals ...man what flavor.
 
JLHillman said:
I've done chicken on the top grate, no pan. It changes the flavor to awesome. Not quite smoked, not quite grilled, probably not healthy. Hey I made 52, so screw it! They were whole chickens flipped and turned every 20 minutes. Cooking time is short compared to a smoke, you still use wood for smoke but it doesn't dominate the flavor the burning fat does.
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I have made 72 doing it that way....lol:cool:
 
That was 52 years old, the Doc's don't recommend BBQ. I have no idea how many birds I've cooked, never counted. I made it this far, BBQ happy, I will keep BBQing come Hell or high water.
 
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I found a terra cotta saucer that fits my 18.5" WSM perfect and have been using it for 2+ years and love it for the convenience. I do not see any difference in the cook but clean up sure is nice.
 
My Mal wants attention, so I'll make this short. There is a pan made that works better than the factory pan, it's deeper and better for long cooks. I want to say Weber, I may be wrong but it works well. If you want to stuff the WSM with charcoal, then no it won't. I bought two water pans and never looked back. I buy foil at Sam's, so I have enough.
 
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