Water water everywhere, but not in the WSM?


 
What Jim said. It's very much "ok" to start your smoking career using water to help in moderating temps but after a while, you'll gain the experience (knowing when to close/open the vents, etc) that you don't need the help that a moderating water bath provides.

I would liken it to using training wheels. After a while, you don't need them.
 
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Same here. I used water in the pan on the first couple of cooks and never since. Too messy. If I feel the need to add moisture I put a bread pan size aluminum pan in the bottom of the foiled water pan but I have only done this maybe twice. I don't see any difference without water.
 
I've used water but after reading this site a lot I quit. I'm against me using water in the pan. I don't care at all if you do. There are pros and cons but there are much better cooks than me that don't use it and that's good enough for me. My biggest problem is disposing of the water. You can't really pour that stuff down the drain and you can't really pour that stuff around dogs. You can let it mostly boil off. If I have enough ash saved up I can pour it into the ash in a trash can and throw it away. I feel like I got a better smoke ring when I used the water but I can't prove that.
 
I use water on my low temp cooks, 225-250. Redding summers can be brutal and it helps to maintain the lower temps, which tend to creep even with the vents closed. Anything above that I've been going with empty pan and foil.
 
I'm a water-in-the-pan-and-never-wrap kind of guy -- have been for a dozen or more years. I fill the water pan and then put a 14" clay saucer, wrapped in foil on the bottom grate. The foiled saucer catches the drippings, so there's no mess. I just dump whatever water is left in the backyard fire pit with the ashes.

I like the moist heat that the water pan provides, but I did hate the clean-up until I started with the saucer above the water pan.
 
Van DeWald said:
The water pan doesn't add moisture to the meat, and it works fine without it.
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Agree. It doesn't add moisture to the meat, but it helps keep moisture in and affects the cooking process.

http://www.scienceofcooking.com/why_is_humidity_important_in_cooking.htm

Interesting to note that the above article includes a reference to cooking sous vide after smoking. (Placing the meat in a vacuum bag and immersing it in controlled-temp water so it will cook to a precise temperature.) Although I'd never make one, I'd like to sample a sous vide brisket.
 
The amazing ribs guy did a big write up on water vs no water. Based on that article and my own experience I use water on any cook where my target temp is 275 or below. For high heat I don't use water.
Everyone has their own methods of what works/makes sense to them but at the end of the I really don't think it makes a ton of difference either way.
I 100% agree it makes clean up a bigger pain.
 
+1 on no water once you get the hang of temp control.

1. Water pan gets messy

2. Water runs out and requires refill

3. Water absorbs heat and therefore uses more fuel.
 
I've tried both ways.

The water makes it easier to keep temps low with little adjustment. As long as the water pan doesn't run dry, I don't bother doing more than a quick rinse and wipe. The mess of a dried out water pan is nasty and must be killed by fire.

For high heat stuff I remove the water pan completely.
 
Haven't used water pan in years....to messy. It is a good training tool, but once you learn to catch the temp on the way up, you will be ok. Now I use mine most of the time without a pan at ll...just let the drippings hit the coals.
 
glen jones said:
Haven't used water pan in years....to messy. It is a good training tool, but once you learn to catch the temp on the way up, you will be ok. Now I use mine most of the time without a pan at ll...just let the drippings hit the coals.
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you go with out a heat deflector of any sort? Interesting? How do you typically start you coals? Minion? snake?
 
I have done it both ways and when I do use water (mainly in the summer) I just put foil in the pan and then when I am done I toss the foil and I just give the pan a quick wipe when I am done.
 
I made a charcoal basket and I fill it with charcoal . I take enough out to almost fill a small Weber chimney light it and let coals ash over. Pour on unlit coals...be sure to catch the temp on the way up so not to overheat. You should be able to keep a constant temp with the PartyQ. I cook around 275 degrees. Try it you might like it.
 
Very interesting posts. I always use the pan as a heat deflector but now I'm not sure. I've watched you tube vids of pros like Bob Gibson and they just shovel hot coals under their meat. But ultimately I will use what's comfortable because when the dinner is on the line I think everyone tends to do what has worked before and what they are confident in.
 
These were great answers! Very diverse opinions. There's no way that I can't do a comparison cook after reading this, probably with baby backs. I'll post pics & impressions.

Mainly I use water to adjust/stabilize temperature, but I guess that puts me in the water-in-the-pan camp too. I think this question is a little bigger than I had realized.
 
Lately I've been running more without water than with it. I double foiled my pan, with the base layer tight to the pan, and then the second to create a flat span across the top. The one thing that I've noticed doing this and trying to keep 225 temps is that when new coals start lighting you're far more prone to a quick temp spike than you are with water. You have to react a bit quicker to your rising temps than you do with water. I do, however, like the additional time that you can get on a load of coals without having to maintain a few gallons of hot water.
 
Never used water in my mini or 18.5 so I don't know what I'm missing, although I do have a clay saucer wrapped in tin foil as a heat diffuser in the mini. I just wrap the water bowl with tin foil in the 18.5.
 
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