WSM 18 Water Pan Question


 
J

Judd Raes

New member
I've put together my smoker but the bottom of the water pan is touching the charcoal grate. Is this the way it is suppose to be? I have the charcoal chamber on the grate. Is the water pan suppose to be sitting on top of the charcoals when cooking?

I know many will be laughing at this question but I don't want to get started on the wrong foot. I've watch videos and it seems that the water pan is in the middle chamber, not the bottom one.
 
No, the bottom of the pan should not be sitting on the grate. It should not be sitting on top of the coal if the bottom was filled level. It would be close, but not sitting on.
 
Might be a silly question, but do you have the right grate in the bottom? It almost sounds like your grate is right on the top edge of the bottom piece. But, the grate should be down inside the bottom piece. The grate should be resting right below where the air vents are in the bottom piece.
 
My question seems silly, not yours Bry. Especially considering I think I know my error.

Is the water pan to be just below the lower cooking grate?
 
Judd Raes said:
My question seems silly, not yours Bry. Especially considering I think I know my error.

Is the water pan to be just below the lower cooking grate?
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Yup. All together, it should look like this (well, not with the transparent side):

1000947_077924081576_A_400.jpg
 
Thanks everyone. This is probably an example of how my first few smokes are going to be failures. I'll be trying a pork loin for Christmas and cook a turkey in the oven as support for my impending disaster!
 
Judd Raes said:
Thanks everyone. This is probably an example of how my first few smokes are going to be failures. I'll be trying a pork loin for Christmas and cook a turkey in the oven as support for my impending disaster!
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It's all good Judd. Hard to mess up really bad with a WSM
 
Judd Raes said:
Thanks everyone. This is probably an example of how my first few smokes are going to be failures. I'll be trying a pork loin for Christmas and cook a turkey in the oven as support for my impending disaster!
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As long as you learn from them and nobody gets sick, they won't be failures ;)

But seriously, you'll be fine. I would, however, recommend brining the pork loin. It's really lean, so there's a very fine line between perfectly cooked and dry as the Sahara. Brining changes that line into a very wide stripe. It's still possible to overcook it, but you'd have to be really negligent. Also, make sure you use a probe thermometer so you can keep tabs on the meat's IT without opening the lid to check it constantly.
 
Judd Raes said:
I've put together my smoker but the bottom of the water pan is touching the charcoal grate. Is this the way it is suppose to be? I have the charcoal chamber on the grate. Is the water pan suppose to be sitting on top of the charcoals when cooking?

I know many will be laughing at this question but I don't want to get started on the wrong foot. I've watch videos and it seems that the water pan is in the middle chamber, not the bottom one.
Click to expand...

Do you have any pictures to show us?
 
And honestly , buddy , I wouldn't start with a pork loin. Too easy to dry it out. I would do a shoulder or pork butt. Something with a lot of fat to render and baste the meat. Even if the heat gets away from you it will come out good.
Obviously , do what you like but that is my 2cents.
 
Thanks for the advice, Frank. I'm cooking a turkey in the oven so the pork loin is an experiment. I have a bunch of them already in the freezer. I got them for $1/lb so I have a lot of them and if it doesn't work out, I've got the turkey as back up and I can make stew out of the pork loin if it gets to dry. I'm going to brine in in an apple cider mixture so I'm hoping to make things a little easier.
 
Judd Raes said:
I'm going to brine in in an apple cider mixture so I'm hoping to make things a little easier.
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If you have (or can get) some candied or crystallized ginger, that + apple + pork is a fantastic layering of flavors. You don't need a lot of it...maybe a tablespoon per 5 lb. of meat. Also, if you pull the loin around 140-145 and give it a 30 minute rest, you'll be good. Remember, you can always put it back in a cook it a bit more, but you can't un-cook it.
 
Rusty James said:
Crystallized ginger? Is that available in the supermarkets? Sounds good.
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It should be. If you have a Whole Foods (or the like), they'll definitely have it, but any decently stocked grocery store should; it'll be buried near the other spices. You could also use fresh ginger, sliced thin or grated, but I wouldn't use dried/ground ginger powder - it doesn't have the same bite to it.
 
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