Water pans and alternatives


 
G

Grant Y

New member
I'm having some trouble with the search feature, so I was hoping someone could direct me to some information on the pros and cons of using water in the pan or filling w/ sand or clay. I'm sure the question has been addressed many times, but I'm getting nowhere with my searches. Thanks!
 
I just use a clay pot, foiled sitting on the water tray ledges. No water pan at all, just clay pot, no sand, it is empty. Simply a heat diffusion from the coals.......................Never used a water pan in the wsm, but did long ago in a different brand, but much prefer no water to deal with, as well as the mess and something else to monitor..........................d
 
I normally use water in the pan except when I want to go higher/hotter such as poultry cooking in the 300+* area. I figure it's designed as a water smoker so I use it that way 90% of the time. I do recommend turning the food 90 or 180* at 2 or 3 hours into the cook. I've notice food seems to stick to the grate more with water than without but if I rotate the food I don't run into that.
 
I use a foiled clay flower pot base in the foiled water pan. I get better temperature control than when I used water. Clean up is much easier too.
 
Water is a heat sink so it's there to help control temps easier after you get use to the way your WSM cooks and it gets good and broke in you may experiment with any of the suggestions or methods used by others then pick the one you like most. Water is good, I don't care much for sand and have never tried the clay dish or just the pan but I know I'm the only one that uses something totally different in my pan and it's what works for me and thats a steel plate about 1/8 th thick so it's really different strokes for different folks.
 
Try it a few different ways and see what works. Personally, I didn't care for the water clean-up.
(Skim off the crap, toss in trash, dump water where it won't attract vermin, finish washing the bowl)
I went with a foiled bowl & a disposable pan, but anything that settled in the bowl burned to a crisp.
Final solution - wrapped the pan in foil, wrapped a flower pot base in foil, and wrap a 24" X 24" piece of foil on top of it all.
All I need to do is toss/replace that top piece of foil & I'm good to go.
 
David said:
I just use a clay pot, foiled sitting on the water tray ledges. No water pan at all, just clay pot, no sand, it is empty. Simply a heat diffusion from the coals.......................Never used a water pan in the wsm, but did long ago in a different brand, but much prefer no water to deal with, as well as the mess and something else to monitor..........................d
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I do it the way Dave does. Up here about $14.00 for a 14" clay saucer. I foil it, that's it. I do like water though when I do ribs and I have the Brinkman pan. Don R just uses a different heat sink than clay. The whole idea is about a heat sink to stabilize your temps.
 
Gary S said:
I do it the way Dave does. Up here about $14.00 for a 14" clay saucer. I foil it, that's it. I do like water though when I do ribs and I have the Brinkman pan. Don R just uses a different heat sink than clay. The whole idea is about a heat sink to stabilize your temps.
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I might add, that in addition to a foiled clay pot, I criss cross that by laying two other pieces across the top of that to catch stuff and then, and on top of that an aluminum dish also foiled. The clay pot stays pretty dang clean by that method.......I buy my foil at Sam's in those 500' rolls.......................d
 
Gary S said:
...I do like water though when I do ribs and I have the Brinkman pan. Don R just uses a different heat sink than clay. The whole idea is about a heat sink to stabilize your temps.
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Exactly, and it's not just about being able to leave the cooker on "auto pilot" and make no vent adjustments. If wanting to put the cooker on "auto pilot" and leave the vents alone, there's no better way to go than to use water in the pan. Not in my experience, at least. But my point isn't to argue that. Besides, there are down sides to using water all the time, mainly charcoal consumption and that the bark doesn't form quick enough if you're planning on foiling. Back to using some kind of heat sink though, it WILL help to stabilize temps in bad weather and also help the temp come back up after replacing the lid for foiling, checking, etc, as well as at the end of a cook when you might be down to nothing but embers. I used to load up with way more than enough charcoal and try to save leftovers, but nowadays I try to just load up a little more than what I anticipate needing. Anyhow, if cooking by day, I like my foiled wrapped clay saucers, but I put it IN the water pan and then foil the top of the water pan. That's just how I've always done it because I like the space between the top layer of foil and the clay pot base. But like Gary, I use water in the pan for spares or st. louis ribs because I don't foil them. Only way I might not use water if not foiling ribs would be if the cooker was COMPLETELY full of ribs in racks or rolled and skewered.
 
And just in case anyone was wondering why the steel plate my decision was based on the following , 1st I couldn't find a clay dish big enough, 2nd the plate I use was free 3rd even when I try to fold and seem the foil to make it big enough to fit the pan it still leaked and was starting to get costly even buying the large rolls at Costco I wanted something more than just the water pan between the fire and food, 4th I can be clumsy from time to time and where as clay breaks if you drop it my plate won't adapt and over come and as we keep saying try different things and use what works best for you.
 
Don Reed said:
And just in case anyone was wondering why the steel plate my decision was based on the following , 1st I couldn't find a clay dish big enough, 2nd the plate I use was free 3rd even when I try to fold and seem the foil to make it big enough to fit the pan it still leaked and was starting to get costly even buying the large rolls at Costco I wanted something more than just the water pan between the fire and food, 4th I can be clumsy from time to time and where as clay breaks if you drop it my plate won't adapt and over come and as we keep saying try different things and use what works best for you.
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I have cracked two saucers probably from thermal shock. I am investigating the cost of a round disc like you have Don. I think that's a great idea.
 
Gary I hope it works as well for you as it does for me. A plow/harrow disk would probably work if you can't find someone with a torch or plasma cutter. I foil over it and drop it into the foiled pan it sits just a about 2" below the lip of the pan. here's a pic
Assembled.jpg
 
Thanks Don. It makes perfect sense. I won't have to worry about your disc breaking from thermal shock.
 
I hear you on the 500' roll from Sams lol. I swooped one up last time I was in there. (I had been using "heavy duty" from the Dollar store.. and let me say theres nothing heavy duty about dollar store aluminum foil lol. But damn is that foil from Sam's some thick heavy duty stuff. I love it. I could triple layer the cheap ish I was using compared to 1 piece of the good stuff I bought!
David said:
I might add, that in addition to a foiled clay pot, I criss cross that by laying two other pieces across the top of that to catch stuff and then, and on top of that an aluminum dish also foiled. The clay pot stays pretty dang clean by that method.......I buy my foil at Sam's in those 500' rolls.......................d
Click to expand...
 
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