WSM - Removing water pan when cooking a brisket? (Like a UDS)


 
C

Clayton Cameron

New member
Hey all!

I'm curious to see if anyone's had any experience completely removing the water pan (like a UDS) when cooking a brisket low and slow? I've cooked it with a dry water pan (with tinfoil) and that's worked great! But i'm wanting to try no water pan at all to see if flavour changes (plus, it's just one less thing to clean).

1) Did you put it fat side down to protect the meet? Or doesn't matter cuz meet is so high up?
2) Have you experienced any burning?
3) Any other advice would be great!

Ideally i'm hoping it'll be set and forget just like with a water pan! Some of UDS videos i've seen are hot and fast, and they rotated and flipped the brisket at some point, and that just a touchhhh too much work for me right now haha!
 
I haven't tried it. Just the idea of all the fat dripping on cold coals is a turn off for me.

I have seen hot and fast brisket. The fire is stromg enough to burn up fat drippings and imbue more flavor. But a low n slow cook for me only has a localized fire. I' d expect to find a very dirty ash pan.

But hey, I am inyerested in your results too.

On your question, without any baffle I'd put the fat side down, towards the heat.
 
Hi there, and welcome to the site!

What smoker do you have?

Typically, a drum smoker doesn't include a water pan, so there's no water pan to remove. However, you can often add a water pan to a drum depending on the design.

OTOH, a water smoker or bullet smoker includes a water pan. I think most water/bullet smokers need a water pan for thermal density.

Note that water/bullet smokers and drum smokers are similar, but not quite the same. A water/bullet smoker typically includes a water pan, and includes a side door to access the fire and water pan, and has a rounded top. A drum typically doesn't come with a water pan, typically has no side door (no leaks!), and has a flat top.

So, if you have a drum, you wouldn't have to remove the water pan since it wouldn't include one.

Most water/bullet smokers are cheap, meaning they are light weight and have thin walls, and I think the water pan is necessary in most cases to keep the cooker temp somewhat stable.

The WSM, I think, would be considered a very high-end water/bullet smoker. It includes a water pan. I actually don't own a WSM, so I'm not sure how it would work without a water pan. Maybe somebody can chime in.

I know Harry Soo wins championships routinely with his WSM. He uses a dry water pan. He also has a temp controller fan.

I own a very cheap water smoker, it weighs almost nothing, and cooking without the water pan on that thing would be out of the question - the cooker temp would swing like crazy. It's hard enough to keep it stable with the water pan! But it's handy to take tailgating, camping, or on vacations.

I also own an Oklahoma Joe Bronco drum smoker - it weighs 140 lbs. It did not include a water pan, but I bought one as an accessory, and almost always cook with the water pan because I've found the meats are more moist with a water pan. The water pan also gives you options as far as controlling the direction of the draft and also the ability to block the intense radiant heat. My drum temp with the water pan is extremely stable - it'll run all night and hold a steady temp.

I've seen posts by cooks who have cooked without the water pan on a vertical smoker and they've raved about the flavor from the fat dripping into the fire.

Yes, if the meat was facing direct radiant heat, I'd put the meat fat side down.

Good luck
 
Yea, I don't know if you can go L&S without a pan or some type of heat sink.
Empty foiled pan I go 275 anything lower I have to add a sink.
I did a butt once without the pan and just let the fat drip. It was hard to keep the temps below 300.
 
I am seeing the potential for a low and slow cook to become an un controllable conflagration! The resultant dripping fat IS going to ignite at some point and then you’ve lost heat control until the brisket becomes a burnt wreck. I would not even attempt it, waste of time and money. Just one man’s opinion.
 
Folks cook briskets in UDS/PBCs all the time. They often hang them.

Once you take out the water pan, a WSM is basically identical to a UDS/PBC. Give it a try and see if you like it.

Some folks like the taste that comes from the fat dripping into the fire; some don't. Personally, I don't notice much difference.

You can go low/slow or hot/fast. The top rack is far enough away from the fire that you'll be fine to control the heat and keep the brisket from getting burned.

Personally, I usually go no water pan, no water, fire dial flat metal diffuser. If going with no diffuser, I'd probably try hot/fast first.
 
Hi Clayton, I have the 18 WSM and I do use the water bowl when I smoke my brisket. I also use a pan that sits on top of the water bowl. I fill the bowl with water until it is just a couple of inches from the top. I line the top of the pan with 2 layers of foil to catch the drippings and then place the pan on top of the bowl. After my 11 to 12 hour smoke most of the water has evaporated. Clean up is easy because the remaining water is clean - the pan caught the drippings - so I can merely poor the water down the drain. I peal the foil off the pan and just through it away. Also, I brush my grates ar the end of my smoke and before I remove the pan so that the foil catches the stuff that comes off the grates.This keeps the bowl clean.
 
I rarely cook low and slow.
The only reason would be an overnighter and the cook would use a pan.

I don’t think that the small amount of lit coals that 225 takes is the right way to open fire cook.

For a daytime cook I’m at 300-350 and I’m fine with no pan and just my defuser
I go fat cap down.

I cook a bit hotter than low and slow but I don’t consider what I do as hot and fast.

Lately my MO has been low and slow with my water pan during the late night hours then after I am up switching to 300-350 for the rest of the cook and then a long rest before serving.
I usually don’t use a water pan but instead my Hunsaker defuser.

When I do use a water pan (on my 18”) I use an aftermarket 2” deep dish pizza pan that works great and can keep with water easily all night at low and slow temps.

Why do you want to cook low and slow?
When I first started to bbq I always went low and slow because that was what was being told to me.
I now mainly go hotter because it’s faster, easier to maintain a schedule and for me I find my success rate has increased
 
Mark_E said:
Hi there, and welcome to the site!

What smoker do you have?

Typically, a drum smoker doesn't include a water pan, so there's no water pan to remove. However, you can often add a water pan to a drum depending on the design.

OTOH, a water smoker or bullet smoker includes a water pan. I think most water/bullet smokers need a water pan for thermal density.

Note that water/bullet smokers and drum smokers are similar, but not quite the same. A water/bullet smoker typically includes a water pan, and includes a side door to access the fire and water pan, and has a rounded top. A drum typically doesn't come with a water pan, typically has no side door (no leaks!), and has a flat top.

So, if you have a drum, you wouldn't have to remove the water pan since it wouldn't include one.

Most water/bullet smokers are cheap, meaning they are light weight and have thin walls, and I think the water pan is necessary in most cases to keep the cooker temp somewhat stable.

The WSM, I think, would be considered a very high-end water/bullet smoker. It includes a water pan. I actually don't own a WSM, so I'm not sure how it would work without a water pan. Maybe somebody can chime in.

I know Harry Soo wins championships routinely with his WSM. He uses a dry water pan. He also has a temp controller fan.

I own a very cheap water smoker, it weighs almost nothing, and cooking without the water pan on that thing would be out of the question - the cooker temp would swing like crazy. It's hard enough to keep it stable with the water pan! But it's handy to take tailgating, camping, or on vacations.

I also own an Oklahoma Joe Bronco drum smoker - it weighs 140 lbs. It did not include a water pan, but I bought one as an accessory, and almost always cook with the water pan because I've found the meats are more moist with a water pan. The water pan also gives you options as far as controlling the direction of the draft and also the ability to block the intense radiant heat. My drum temp with the water pan is extremely stable - it'll run all night and hold a steady temp.

I've seen posts by cooks who have cooked without the water pan on a vertical smoker and they've raved about the flavor from the fat dripping into the fire.

Yes, if the meat was facing direct radiant heat, I'd put the meat fat side down.

Good luck
Click to expand...
Hey thanks for the detailed notes! I'm on a WSM 22inch.
 
Thanks for the input everyone! I'll defintely put my dry, tinfoiled, water pan for the brisket cook this weekend as its 16lbs (pre-trim) and it'll be my first over night cook! Excited to see how it goes.

I think on the next one for my curiosity sake I might get a smaller brisket and try to no water pan at all. I'm thinking as long as I monitor it during the day, I could add the water pan later in the cook if it gets out of hand!
 
I use an empty, foil-wrapped water pan in the WSM.
I double wrap with foil and put a few balls of foil in between the layers to add some air space. This helps prevent the drippings from scorching. I don't know the science behind it, but it works. I also put a disposable aluminum tray on top of the water pan, for fattier cooks.
 
Clayton Cameron said:
Thanks for the input everyone! I'll defintely put my dry, tinfoiled, water pan for the brisket cook this weekend as its 16lbs (pre-trim) and it'll be my first over night cook! Excited to see how it goes.

I think on the next one for my curiosity sake I might get a smaller brisket and try to no water pan at all. I'm thinking as long as I monitor it during the day, I could add the water pan later in the cook if it gets out of hand!
Click to expand...
You may want to rethink that. Fatty drippings directly on charcoal during a long cook will make for a bitter taste....
 
Rick P said:
You may want to rethink that. Fatty drippings directly on charcoal during a long cook will make for a bitter taste....
Click to expand...
Fair point! What are your thoughts on Pit Barrell Cookers primarily cooking this way? It seems like many of the reviews i read rave about the fat flavour dripping onto the coals. (it may be different as PBCs cook at a hotter temp usually).
 
Andy Kaminski said:
I rarely cook low and slow.
The only reason would be an overnighter and the cook would use a pan.

I don’t think that the small amount of lit coals that 225 takes is the right way to open fire cook.

For a daytime cook I’m at 300-350 and I’m fine with no pan and just my defuser
I go fat cap down.

I cook a bit hotter than low and slow but I don’t consider what I do as hot and fast.

Lately my MO has been low and slow with my water pan during the late night hours then after I am up switching to 300-350 for the rest of the cook and then a long rest before serving.
I usually don’t use a water pan but instead my Hunsaker defuser.

When I do use a water pan (on my 18”) I use an aftermarket 2” deep dish pizza pan that works great and can keep with water easily all night at low and slow temps.

Why do you want to cook low and slow?
When I first started to bbq I always went low and slow because that was what was being told to me.
I now mainly go hotter because it’s faster, easier to maintain a schedule and for me I find my success rate has increased
Click to expand...
All really good feedback! The reason i want to try low and slow with no diffsuer was so that it hopefully won't burn the underside of the meet (trying to avoid having to rotate or flip the brisket, which is recommended on the hot and fast cooks i've seen on youtube with no diffuser).

Much like you've mentioned, low and slow is what i've been told/seen online. Looks like I might have to start experimenting wiith hotter and faster!
 
Clayton Cameron said:
Fair point! What are your thoughts on Pit Barrell Cookers primarily cooking this way? It seems like many of the reviews i read rave about the fat flavour dripping onto the coals. (it may be different as PBCs cook at a hotter temp usually).
Click to expand...
I can't offer a qualified opinion because I've never used a PBC. In my opinion, you may not get an indirect cook without something in between the coals and cooking grate on a WSM..
 
Clayton, I’m still trying to figure it out too.
My last 3 briskets were huge for my 18” wsm.
I had to contort them to get them in and foil wrap the ends pretty good
Going low and slow through the night then cranking up the heat when I’m up and about still made for a 17-18 hour cook.
These are have turned out nicely but living in a heavily wooded marine environment I would rather not cook at night.

My next experiment in this adventure is to start at 4:00 am with a large brisket cooked at 375-400f slightly trimmed fat cap down using my Hunsaker defuser (or maybe not) and see how early I can serve it.

In my perfect world I’d like to start a large brisket at 6-7 am and serve it at 4:00pm.
I’m just not there yet.
 
When judging, we are allowed to walk through the pitmasters area as long as we do not spend any time with the teams. I have noticed the smell of burnt oil / fat. Whomever is cooking at such a high temperature (maybe an out of control high temperature ?) is creating an odor that is not pleasant.
 
I don’t quite understand the dislike of open flame cooking.
I can understand the dislike of a runaway oil fire taste but I guess who wouldn’t?

I guess I don’t have a problem cooking directly over an open flame.
Isn’t Santa Maria style a version of that?
I once did a pork butt in my wsm without a water pan and really enjoyed the flavor.
Is this a subjective flavor taste.

I haven’t used my big stainless steel gasser bbq in about 6 or 7 years.
I think the angled sheet metal just about the flames are called flavor bars.
Aren’t they called that?

I know you can go indirect and reverse sear in the gassers or the opposite but isn’t the flavor from a gasser basically just burnt oil or am I missing something?
 
Andy Kaminski said:
Clayton, I’m still trying to figure it out too.
My last 3 briskets were huge for my 18” wsm.
I had to contort them to get them in and foil wrap the ends pretty good
Going low and slow through the night then cranking up the heat when I’m up and about still made for a 17-18 hour cook.
These are have turned out nicely but living in a heavily wooded marine environment I would rather not cook at night.

My next experiment in this adventure is to start at 4:00 am with a large brisket cooked at 375-400f slightly trimmed fat cap down using my Hunsaker defuser (or maybe not) and see how early I can serve it.

In my perfect world I’d like to start a large brisket at 6-7 am and serve it at 4:00pm.
I’m just not there yet.
Click to expand...
That experiment sounds like what I want to do - twins! Do post how it goes when you do it. Being able to start at 6-7am and have it ready to eat at 4pm would be great.

I think you'r brisket will be done in the 6-8h mark (willing to bet half my next brisket haha ;). The hot and fast briskets i've seen online do something like 400*F for two hours, then wrap, and finish until probe tender. Usually around 5-6h cook time.

My last thought on hot and fast is that the meat always looks a little more on the dry side compared to the ones who cook it for 10+ hours online. I'm still willing to try it though!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

 

Back
Top