Who uses the water pan? Advice?


 

Christopher H

TVWBB Fan
Hi everyone,

So I will be picking up a WSM 18.5 this spring and I have been reading up on them for awhile now. I just had the question of whether or not people use the water pans? I have always used mine in my modified ECB but reading on amazingribs.com that Soo doesn't use water to allow bark to form has gotten me intrigued. I know I will need to season my smoker and tweak the vents until I get a setting I like but does anyone else not use water?

If you don't use water do you either spray with water after bark has formed or use a mop?
Is it easy to switch over from using water in the water pan to not using it?

Last question is I would be getting a 2014 model with the built in grommet for a digital thermometer. Being fairly new to smoking (3 years with a POS smoker modified), is this where you "permanantly leave your therm or do you just use it every so often to check temp? What is a good thermometer to buy without breaking the bank?

Thanks for all your help!
 
Use your Water Pan until you learn the cooker. It will keep you from chasing temps. Once you have it dialed in, Then start doing cooks with out it. I typically don't use the pan when I want to do 25lbs, 190degree,18hr briskets. Your temps are going to fluctuate much quicker. So you half to move alot quicker. IMO, pan or no pan really has nothing to do with achieving a healthy bark in a WSM. I believe bark is a combination of,food prep,temp, and amount of smoke. If I want a heavy bark, I typically wont mop,spray or even wrap. Once the bark has formed, you want to leave it a little dry. If it starts cracking, Then hit it with some apple juice in a spray bottle.(less is more) Bark can go soggy really quick and the goods will start to seep through then it comes a mess. As far as a reliable thermo. Just go with the Mavrick ET-73 OR ET-7. After about 20 cooks you won't even use until the last hr. Experience will tell you were it's at.
 
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Harry Soo is concerned with getting bark early because he foils everything during the cook, and not only does foil stop the bark, it also helps even out cooking. But can you cook dry and not foil with great results? Sure, but I find it's not as consistent as if using water. The below is just my .02 off the top of my head:

Water in the pan pros: more consistent and even cooking, tender bark at wider cooking temp range, lid doesn't stick, 212* heat sink highly effective for stable temps in the 225-250 temp range, especially when taking the lid off and interacting with the cook. Cons: uses more charcoal, inability to maintain steady temps much over 250*, mess in the pan, and the bark's color won't be as pretty, texture not as crisp.

Dry pan pros: ability to maintain wide range of temps, provides environment that makes shiny mahogany and crisp bark possible, uses less charcoal, and the pan doesn't need any cleaning. Cons: bark often tough in places if cooking too slow or too fast, not exactly set it or forget it (more of a learning curve), lid propensity to stick from grease buildup (wipe edge and lip while still hot after cook), and speaking of the lid, propensity for temp spikes when taking the lid off, not as even cooking environment...ie, wider window for similar cuts getting done, more overcooked ends of ribs.

Again, that's just my experience. While I don't use water for a brisket or a butt or two, I will for ribs and other cooks where I have a lot of things on the cooker. You just have to allow for more "coming up to temp time". I use a combo of hot/boiling water. Keep in mind though, that uneven cooking is basically negated by foiling, which a lot of folks do. Also, a lot of guys that don't use water are only smoking a solitary butt, and that's pretty forgiving. As to spritzing, water or no water, I find it does little to help when cooking on a wsm.
 
I don't use water at all but wrap a clay flower pot base in foil and put it in the water pan to act as a bit of a heat sink. I just don't want to deal with the mess in the pan, and I am fine with the results that I am getting without water.

On the grommet & probes, I put the probes in at the beginning of the cook and leave them in for the entire cook. You don't want to try to snake probes in and out of the grommet while the smoker is hot.

On the thermometer, the Mavericks strike a very nice balance between price and features. I have two ET-732's and love them. I get the impression that the ET-733's are comparable, and I'm not sure that the extra bells and whistles on the 733 are worth paying more for them. You can't go wrong with either of those models. I've never used an ET-73, but when I was doing my research, I decided that the ET-732 was worth the extra money. As I recall, I think the on/off switch on the ET-73 is inconveniently located inside the battery compartment, and I got the impression that the ET-732 gave a better signal range, increasing the chances that you can get a signal anywhere in your home.

For most things you'll cook on the smoker, the temperature doesn't tell you when the food is ready to take off the smoker but is really more to tell you when it's getting close so you know when to start checking for tenderness.
 
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It's probably a good idea to use water in the pan until you get your cooker seasoned. It seems to run pretty hot when it's brand new. I've had mine for a couple of years and I don't use water or heat sinks anymore. I control my heat pretty well with just the vents.I don't spritz or mop as a rule and have never noticed any dry meat issues.
 
I do like water cookers best i even bought myself a backwoods, you cant beat a water cooker thats my 2cents.
 
On my 18.5 I removed the large round-bottomed water pan and added a 15" foiled clay pot bottom. Now I have room to work the lump and add chips as I like without the pan in the way. Once you learn to sneak up on your target temp it's like falling off a log...easy. Unit is excellent at stabile temps.
Good Luck
 
I would suggest you get yourself the Brinkman pan for your smoker and have it available for water cooks until you get a few under your belt. It will give you the clearance not available on the new model pans.(2009 & newer) I still like ribs done over water. It is my preferred method otherwise I don't use my pan much anymore but the Brinkman is well worth having and they are cheap.
As for the grommet, the notch method I think is still the easiest way to run your probe wires.
 
I would suggest you get yourself the Brinkman pan for your smoker and have it available for water cooks until you get a few under your belt. It will give you the clearance not available on the new model pans.(2009 & newer) I still like ribs done over water. It is my preferred method otherwise I don't use my pan much anymore but the Brinkman is well worth having and they are cheap.
As for the grommet, the notch method I think is still the easiest way to run your probe wires.

Brinkman CHARCOAL pan. WATER for ribs. NOTCH for probe wires....GREAT ADVICE!;)
 
I foil my defuser (bowl) and put in it a 12" clay pot bottom also foiled. The only reason I chose a 12" is sometimes (in the case of turkey) I like to catch the drippings and need room for a catch bowl

Never use water
 

 

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