Dave Schwartz
TVWBB Fan
I saw on another board somebody had mentioned that they use the WSM without a water pan so that they can get the charcoal (lump) flavor. They also mentioned that the average smoker temp was 350. Has anybody else tried this?
WSM without water pan?
- Thread starter Dave Schwartz
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Tom Ferguson
Banned
I do Beer Butt chickens this way all the time on the WSM. I read somewhere that the dripping fat from the chicken disturbed the ashes enough to get some on the meat, but I never experienced that.
You want juicy chicken with crispy skin, leave the water pan out and let 'er go to 300-325, even 350.
Oh, yeah, and if you do a beer butt chicken, stick a small onion in the birds neck cavity. Adds flavor and keeps more moisture inside.
You want juicy chicken with crispy skin, leave the water pan out and let 'er go to 300-325, even 350.
Oh, yeah, and if you do a beer butt chicken, stick a small onion in the birds neck cavity. Adds flavor and keeps more moisture inside.
Dave Schwartz
TVWBB Fan
Has anybody tried this with a pork butt??
Greg Rempe
TVWBB All-Star
Dave, why would you want to do that with a pork butt???!!! It benefits the most from low and slow heat(indirect)!
G
Guest
Guest
Dave, If you want more flavor cook low n slow
(except for poultry). The pan with or without water or sand does NOT inhibit flavor. I would argue that the lower temps 220-250 and longer cooks result in MORE flavor.
(except for poultry). The pan with or without water or sand does NOT inhibit flavor. I would argue that the lower temps 220-250 and longer cooks result in MORE flavor.
Dave Schwartz
TVWBB Fan
Greg,
This was an old post that I found on the KC BBQ Forum site....
Re: Pork Shoulder on WSM no water pan? (6/12/1999 12:16:02 PM by Harry)
The flavor from the fat dripping onto hot coals is what you want if you are trying to emulate North Carolina style bbq, which is cooked over live coals. I have done this several times in my WSM and find that you can't load the fire ring full of charcoal. I use wood burned to coals and add a shovel full of coals about every 40 minutes. I have a couple of handles mounted on the sides of my WSM so that I can lift the whole body of the cookere off the base to facilitate adding the coals. This method does produce meat that has less smoke flavor and more of a crust than indirect cooking and I think is well worth trying. I have had some guests that prefer pork cooked by this method.
Harry
This was an old post that I found on the KC BBQ Forum site....
Re: Pork Shoulder on WSM no water pan? (6/12/1999 12:16:02 PM by Harry)
The flavor from the fat dripping onto hot coals is what you want if you are trying to emulate North Carolina style bbq, which is cooked over live coals. I have done this several times in my WSM and find that you can't load the fire ring full of charcoal. I use wood burned to coals and add a shovel full of coals about every 40 minutes. I have a couple of handles mounted on the sides of my WSM so that I can lift the whole body of the cookere off the base to facilitate adding the coals. This method does produce meat that has less smoke flavor and more of a crust than indirect cooking and I think is well worth trying. I have had some guests that prefer pork cooked by this method.
Harry
Dave,
I've cooked pork butt with an empty, foil-lined water pan using the Minion Method and maintained 225-250*F. You can do the same without the pan. You just need to agressively manage the vents, managing temp on the way up instead of letting it get so high that you have a hard time bringing it down.
Regards,
Chris
I've cooked pork butt with an empty, foil-lined water pan using the Minion Method and maintained 225-250*F. You can do the same without the pan. You just need to agressively manage the vents, managing temp on the way up instead of letting it get so high that you have a hard time bringing it down.
Regards,
Chris
Dave Schwartz
TVWBB Fan
Thank you Chris. I appreciate the feedback.
Chris Finney
TVWBB All-Star
Dave is correct with his post he found saying that the direct heat method would more closely emulate the "old style", "traditional" North Carolina Barbecue. That's the way we always did it, whether it was over a pit dug in the ground or a cooker made from an old fuel oil tank. You had a 55 gal drum for burning your wood to embers. Then you shoveled the embers in to the cooker or pit. But trust me, it was still low and slow.
p.s. Originally from NC.
p.s. Originally from NC.
chrisnole88
New member
I started fixing chicken wings w/o the pan, I hold temp around 275-300 and use franks hot sauce for my dip, much more complex flavor than fried in my opinion
Dave Schwartz
TVWBB Fan
Would there be a problem with flare ups from the fat dripping on to the coals?
Chris Finney
TVWBB All-Star
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Dave Schwartz:
Would there be a problem with flare ups from the fat dripping on to the coals? <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
IMO, flare ups shouldn't be a big problem because you are not going to have a whole lot of O2 getting in the WSM. Probably will have to have the bottom vents closed the whole time.
Would there be a problem with flare ups from the fat dripping on to the coals? <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
IMO, flare ups shouldn't be a big problem because you are not going to have a whole lot of O2 getting in the WSM. Probably will have to have the bottom vents closed the whole time.
Ken McCrary
TVWBB Super Fan
I found a charcoal grate for one of the kettles at Home Depot that is the same size as the lower cooking grate in the WSM. I was thinking about using it to raise the coals closer to the top grate so the WSM can double as a grill on camping trips. Whadda ya think?
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Ken McCrary:
I found a charcoal grate for one of the kettles at Home Depot that is the same size as the lower cooking grate in the WSM. I was thinking about using it to raise the coals closer to the top grate so the WSM can double as a grill on camping trips. Whadda ya think? <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>This exact method is discussed and photographed in the Grilling On The Weber Bullet article. Yes, it does work. You can also cook over just the charcoal bowl...you'll find that at the end of the article.
Happy camping,
Chris
I found a charcoal grate for one of the kettles at Home Depot that is the same size as the lower cooking grate in the WSM. I was thinking about using it to raise the coals closer to the top grate so the WSM can double as a grill on camping trips. Whadda ya think? <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>This exact method is discussed and photographed in the Grilling On The Weber Bullet article. Yes, it does work. You can also cook over just the charcoal bowl...you'll find that at the end of the article.
Happy camping,
Chris
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Dave Schwartz:
Would there be a problem with flare ups from the fat dripping on to the coals? <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>I did not experience any.
Regards,
Chris
Would there be a problem with flare ups from the fat dripping on to the coals? <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>I did not experience any.
Regards,
Chris
Bruce Bissonnette
TVWBB Guru
Question: If I put a pork butt on the top grate and remove the water pan completely and the bottom grate, then fill the charcoal chamber with lump charcoal and use the Minion Method, do you think I would be able to control the temps enough on the way up with the bottom vents to maintain a 250 temp at the lid?
G
Guest
Guest
If I am cooking chicken legs and thighs without a water pan, how long does that usually take?
Tom Ferguson
Banned
Depending on the temps you get the WSM to, an hour to an hour and thirty mins. Be sure to check the internal temps.
Bruce,
I have smoked with no pan, but have always used Kingsford. I have lump on the patio, and use it for grilling on my WSM, but as you know it burns hotter than Kingsford and would require close monitoring. You could limit the amount of lump in the chamber and not use the pan - but I would not fill the entire chamber with lump - then keep the vents nearly completely closed. This however seems like too much work to me. I've said before, I like to sleep during overnight butt smokes and I would not chose a method that requires close monitoring. Thats just me.
You could use Kinsford with a few pieces of lump (I would still use my standard two pieces of fist sized oak though). I recommend not filling the charcoal chamber completely with lump with the water pan removed. You can always add Kingsford, lump or wood chunks later in the smoke, depending on the temp of the smoker. If your WSM gets too hot, it can be tricky to lower the temp. But you probably knew that already.
Hope this helps.
Glenn
I have smoked with no pan, but have always used Kingsford. I have lump on the patio, and use it for grilling on my WSM, but as you know it burns hotter than Kingsford and would require close monitoring. You could limit the amount of lump in the chamber and not use the pan - but I would not fill the entire chamber with lump - then keep the vents nearly completely closed. This however seems like too much work to me. I've said before, I like to sleep during overnight butt smokes and I would not chose a method that requires close monitoring. Thats just me.
You could use Kinsford with a few pieces of lump (I would still use my standard two pieces of fist sized oak though). I recommend not filling the charcoal chamber completely with lump with the water pan removed. You can always add Kingsford, lump or wood chunks later in the smoke, depending on the temp of the smoker. If your WSM gets too hot, it can be tricky to lower the temp. But you probably knew that already.
Hope this helps.
Glenn
Sounds like we need to do a blind taste test. Two WSM's..one with water pan, one without. Try a butt and brisket on one and a similar size butt and brisket on the other. Then have people blindly taste test the products and see if they can tell which is which or which is more tender and juicy. Any suggestions out there folks?
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