WSM vs BDS


 
M

Matt Denton

New member
Does any know why BDS (Big Drum Smokers) do not require a water pan or heat shield like the WSM does?

Is it possible to keep temps down in the WSM with no water pan at all? If so, how do you do it. I've heard of people using sand or even foiled, but I was wondering if its possible to go low and slow with no pan at all.

(I tried searching first)
 
Welcome.

I recall the topic being discussed before, but I don't think it ever went anywhere. Seemed like there were a couple of issues. The one point I remember is the grease dripping onto the fire. With the drum smokers, you don't have a fire right below the meat like you do on a WSM. In a WSM, a lot of grease is going to fall on the fire. You might not have flare up (until you open the lid - then look out) but you will certainly have a mess to clean up.

Look up Piedmont pan and you'll see what I believe is the closest thing to not having anything at all.
 
Try cooking some of Bryan's roadside chicken (look in poultry recipes) and you'll get a good idea of what it's like to cook on a WSM without a pan.

Did 20 lbs of skin on boneless chicken breast and thighs on mine a few weeks ago. Actually pretty cool way to cook chicken without having to worry about flare up much since you are high up off the fire.

The smoke flavors the meat nicely.

It wasn't a low and slow cook though. I think you could do low and slow that way on a WSM. It would be interesting to try, but there sure is a good bit of fat dropping off a shoulder though.
 
Originally posted by Matt Denton:
Does any know why BDS (Big Drum Smokers) do not require a water pan or heat shield like the WSM does?

Is it possible to keep temps down in the WSM with no water pan at all? If so, how do you do it. I've heard of people using sand or even foiled, but I was wondering if its possible to go low and slow with no pan at all.

(I tried searching first)
Click to expand...

I have yet to use water in my WSM. My pan is lined with foil and operates as a drip pan, nothing more. No problems keeping things low and slow.

I also own an offset smoker which I've never used water in either. A bit tougher to control temperatures with which is really why I'd like to get a reverse flow setup somewhere down the road.
 
Originally posted by Jerry N.:
Welcome.

I recall the topic being discussed before, but I don't think it ever went anywhere. Seemed like there were a couple of issues. The one point I remember is the grease dripping onto the fire. With the drum smokers, you don't have a fire right below the meat like you do on a WSM. In a WSM, a lot of grease is going to fall on the fire. You might not have flare up (until you open the lid - then look out) but you will certainly have a mess to clean up.
Click to expand...
Yep, without some sort of pan to catch the grease the flavor of all that grease burning off will overwhelm the meat on a long cook. The only time I don't use a pan to catch the grease is for high heat chicken cooks. I like the flavor of the grease burning off the coals on chicken, but it's a very short cook. It would be too much, IMO for a butt or brisket cook.
 
If I might interject.

Bryan

I agree, with the no pan high heat chicken cook. I cooked 5 lbs of chicken leg qtrs. like that yesterday, and they came out great. used to make them on my gass grill, but not any more. John
 
So what is the root cause of the problem? Is it because you just can't get the meat far enough above the fire?
 
I do chicken thighs and leg quarters in the WSM all the time directly over coals with no water pan. This is a high heat cook and the odor of the grease dripping on the coals adds a great flavor to the chicken.
 
Does anyone have pics of the bottom of a BDS? i.e. how the charcoal is situated at the bottom?

On the note of potential carcinogenic vapors created by burning meat fat, the WSM and offset smokers do not create this, the BDS burning dripping fat for hours on end could....

Anthony
 
2005122589021343659_rs.jpg


Does this help? It sits in a charcoal basket that you make out of expanded metal. This one here that I have is almost too big, but works well for long cooks. It is 9"h x 15"diameter. It will hold 30#'s of briqs. I changed to lump though, and holds about 10-12 lbs of lump.

this is my BDS clone. BDS's have a charcoal ring that is 11" diameter x 6" tall.
 
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