What if I don't foil the water pan?


 
M

Matt M.

New member
I've had two successful cooks with my new WSM and absolutely love it. Both time I took Chris's advice and foiled the bottom of the water pan. However, although it's not too difficult to do, it is an extra step in the process each cook and it does use a good deal of foil. Just curious - what happens if I don't foil the bottom? Does the residue get hard and sticky? Does it require a lot of cleaning since it is on the bottom of the pan? Just wondering what you guys do out there.
 
Hey Matt,
The purpose of foiling the water pan is it makes clean up a lot easier.
When I foil the pan, I foil the entire inside of the pan. I'm assuming you do the same.
You'll find that some of the water gets behind the foil, which is normal, but very little grease will. When you dump the grease and water out, and pull the foil out, the water pan won't have all of the grease stuck to the side.
I find it easier to expend a little clean foil then to try and scrub the water pan clean.
I you don't use foil, no big deal. I started off not using it.
I never worry about the outside of the pan.
 
Foiling the pan makes it a lot easier to clean.
However, the pan is porcelain coated, so if you get baked on crud, you SHOULD be able to clean it in the dishwasher. It SHOULD be OK to use oven cleaner on it if you really want to clean it that much. (I can't guarantee it's safe, but I expect it is since most ovens are porcelain coated steel and oven cleaners don't damage those surfaces, so I assume it won't hurt a water pan.)

But really, it takes almost no time to line the pan with foil and it makes cleanup a lot easier.

By the way, you can use playground sand instead of water. I line the bottom of the pan, put in the sand, then add a top layer of foil to keep grease from dripping into the sand. I replace the top layer of foil every time I cook. The sand and bottom layer will last a while before I need to do anything with them.
 
Mox nix in my opinion. I find it to be just as much work to foil the pan as it is to clean up the pan if I don't foil it, and if I don't use foil, I only waste some soap and water cleaning it.
 
FWIW....I don't foil and I don't use soap & water
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I cook with water in the pan....for clean-up: dump the ashes in a tall kitchen trash can with trash bag installed, then dump the water pan in the same trash bag and wipe the water pan out with paper towels..discard, 3 mins max!
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Voila! Hey!..we're BBQn here
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Thanks for the tips. I was actually talking about foiling the bottom of the pan like Chris does in his video - I don't foil the inside and don't find it to be a problem cleaning up since I use water in there as well. Just didn't know how bad the bottom would get without it.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by ron "Rondo" hanson:
FWIW....I don't foil and I don't use soap & water
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I cook with water in the pan....for clean-up: dump the ashes in a tall kitchen trash can with trash bag installed, then dump the water pan in the same trash bag and wipe the water pan out with paper towels..discard, 3 mins max!
icon_wink.gif
Voila! Hey!..we're BBQn here
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icon_wink.gif
</div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Man, what a breath of fresh air!

Gary Wiviott says to foil the INSIDE of the pan, even with water in it. Chris says to foil the OUTSIDE.

I'm with Rondo. The only time I foil is when I'm cooking chicken at high temps with no water in the pan.

Normally, I use a brass bristled brush to help knock off the cooked on crud, and rinse off with the hose. Go for it if you want to really clean it, but it's not like you're going to be drinking out of it, or make it last any longer by keeping it perfectly clean. (I love that Weber porcelain coating!)
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Marty M.:
Couldn't you just put the water bowl in the oven on the self-cleaning cycle? </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
I never tried this and I would contact Weber first before doing it.

In theory, the porcelain coated steel will withstand the heat without damage, but Weber should know for sure.
 
remember, its just a water pan. If it ever get really bad after years and years of use, you can purchase a new one from weber probably for 15 dollars.
 
I didn't foil it on my ecb and I haven't foiled it on my wsm. I wipe off any grease, knock out any loose bits and toss it back in. I go through enough foil as it is without trying to keep my waterpan spotless.
 
I foiled mine for the first time tonight, don't think I'll be doing it again. Takes almost as long to foil it (not very long) as it does to just clean the pan after it's been used without foil (I just spray it out with a hose and then wipe it off with a paper towel).

Also, yeah, it does take a lot of foil and the price can add up! Certainly it would cost more to foil the pan over and over again then it would to just buy a new pan after 20 or 30 uses!
 
I haven't touched the water pan in my WSM for over 350 cooks.
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It's not foiled. (at least i don't think it is)
Heck, I don't even know if it's still there!
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<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">The only time I foil is when I'm cooking chicken at high temps with no water in the pan. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
I cook most stuff at high heat so I foil the pan. It cooks if you don't (and the smoke produced is unpleasant, imo) and cooks on as well.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Jim Lampe:
I haven't touched the water pan in my WSM for over 350 cooks.
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It's not foiled. (at least i don't think it is)
Heck, I don't even know if it's still there!
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</div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Jim thanks for the laugh
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I foil my pan which I run dry so I just change the foil that is on the top of the pan.
 
if you don't foil the pan, you are cooking the way weber runs all their tests. Foiling is not necessary at all.

next time you use the smoker, grab a piece of cardboard and scrape off what you can.. but not much more is necessary.

Mike
 
Presumably Weber is cooking to produce emperical numbers not to feed family members. Clean your equipment or keep it clean. Foil eases the cleaning process.
 
Well, this thread stopped a few weeks back, but I'll ask anyway. I can see the explanations for foiling the inside. Using water, I just won't bother. I'll see as I get experience whether I want to try sand or a pottery saucer.

But I still haven't seen anything specific to explain by Chris (or anyone) says to foil the bottom side. I did for my first (and so far only) smoke, but what's the reason. I think I saw something from Chris about him being a little anal about cleaning (hope that's right, Chris -- don't mean to slander you or to cast aspersions
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) and that would explain it. But is that the only reason? Since I have the DEEP new 18.5 water pan, it seems somewhat important to me, but unless there's a good reason, I won't do it anymore until I actually see a reason for myself. Rich
 
I don't know about Chris but the only reason I foil the bottom of the pan is to keep it clean (yes, I guess I am anal). I don't change it every time I do a cook, I leave the same foil on for many cooks.
 
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