Should You Use A Water Pan In A Smoker
HTML-код
- Опубликовано: 25 фев 2021
- Hey everyone, today we’re going to answer a question I get a lot and that is should I use a water pan in my smoker? Water pans are almost a polarizing thing in the BBQ world, many folks think that by using a water pan you’ll make BBQ that is more moist. While that isn’t necessarily true, there are several advantages to running a water pan. The first and most obvious advantage is by introducing a large body of water into your cooking chamber you now have a very large thermal mass that is going to help you keep your temperatures more stable. Because water can only get to its boiling point and then becomes steam this water pan will help keep your temperatures from spiking, as well as help the cooking chamber recover heat after opening and closing your lid. The second advantage is that as the water boils and becomes steam, steam is much better at transferring energy than air is. This is interesting because in some instances if you generate enough steam you will actually notice your bark on your protein will set quicker than it would normally. This all has to do with how much more efficient steam is at transferring that energy into your protein. The last advantage we want to talk about today is that it helps keep the outside of your protein moist. While we all love bark, I think we can all agree that there is a difference between tasty bark, and just dried out meat. With a water pan, where you would normally have to spritz, you may find that you don’t need to do it as often. Now to me the biggest downside to running a water pan is you need to remember to clean it up immediately after the cook. If you close down a cooker with a half full water pan with water and grease in it, you may open it up to cook the next time and find a brand new science experiment. Other than that one caveat I enjoy cooking with a water pan and if you’ve never tried it before give it a shot and let me know what you think of it.
For updates go check out our social media:
Facebook - /
Instagram - @Cookoutcoach
Twitter _ @CookoutC
If you have any questions you can also reach me at cookoutcoach AT gmail.com 
Развлечения
Good stuff. A water pan helps in the formation of the bark.
Hey bud good to see ya. It sure does that’s a good point to add as well. Hope you’re doing well man
Because you kept it basic and simple without a 10 min video before you actually got to the point... I've subscribed
Same here!!!
"The only way you will know which experience you want to have, is by having multiple experiences." - Great advice.
I used to work for chilis restaurants for 10 years.
Many years back, Chilis smoker is built to run with water and wood.
Cooking time was 3 hours at 225
Ribs came out very moist.
😅❤
This is a good example of why I call you ... the BEST BBQ BRAIN I know !!! Your analytical ability to detail , is a big part of why you have become the dominant force in backyard comp bbq !!! BBBB 💪🏆🏆🏆😁
Hahaha thanks buddy, been a while since I’ve heard from ya, hope everything is goin well
I’m getting mixed results with a water pan. In some cases the meat ends up more dry with a water pan than without. As for the heatsink effect, I found that putting a brick in your smoker is the best remedy against temperature swings.
Just got my Akorn w/Kart, put it together last weekend (04/03/2020) Starting to re-watch your vids on Akorn Sr. Thanx for showing good stuff.
Love this guy!!
I have a Char-Griller 5050 with side smoker and for sure have learnt some tips watching these videos. Thanks
Great video! very clear and learned something again! Thanks! Greetings from the Netherlands
man, well done. really like your approach to this topic!
I only use a water pan in the offset. The reason is the nature of how the cooker works.
Offset smoking is high convection cooking. Moving a TON of hot air over the protein leads to drying out of the surface of your protein. A water pan helps keep the humidity higher, as well as temper fluctuations in temperature.
Kamado cookers take advantage of high radiant heat. They don't move air like an offset, which keeps the humidity higher in relation. The heat soaked ceramic (and steel) radiates onto the protein instead, and becomes the heat sink that tempers fluctuations in temperature.
Very informative! Thanks
Excellent video. To the point. Thank you.
Thanks G. real solid advice.
Bro, thank u so much for posting this video... just in the middle of only my 3rd ever brisket cook. Got my brisket all trimmed and seasoned up, smoker dialed in perfectly, then flew into a panic with indecisiveness about using a water pan or not. So ur post here was very timely! I've decided to try out the water pan and we'll see how it goes.
Good stuff man! I run a cabinet smoker, like a Chubby and a couple of other models. The main water pan has been removed, but there still is the shield plate on top of the fire box. I put a half pan of water like yours and an aluminum foil oven liner on top of that with a hole in the middle to funnel the fat drippings to the water pan below. This give us the meat smoke but doesn't allow it to burn and give that off putting flavor you are talking about.
When I am done I just toss the pan with no mess. I also run around 290 - 300 and then pan after about 2.5 hours for brisket. That humid environment along with the hot and fast gives it a great smoke ring, good bark, and really puffs that brisket up fast to retain all that juice.
Good to see someone be a proponent for water pans, they really do put a great smoke ring, nice bark, and the color is the best.
Very interesting. I've never used a water pan before. But i will now, thanks!
First time I did this on my Competition Pro, my fire burned a whole in my aluminum pan 😄. I purchased a charcoal basket and keep it closer to the firebox door. Easier to control temp and keeps the flame away from the aluminum pan🙌🏾
Liked the vid. Informative and to the point.
i've got a OJ's longhorn combo which has a small cook chamber . pork does fine with a water pan , but on whole chickens the skin is all messed up ! i found not using a water pan in the OJLC with whole chickens comes out great ! crispy skin and very moist almost fall apart chicken is my experience .
luv you channel ! thanks for sharing and take care dude .
Great video brother, im definitely going to be using a pan in my kettle as well!
Hey bud thanks for checking it out. We’ll be seein ya here shortly 👍
Funny you mention the burnt grease flavor. I modified my 1995 (ish) weber master touch with a diffuser plate and charcoal ring, like the new master touch has; and boy, I loved what it did to the smell! The grease searing on the pan is just awesome for the first two thirds of the cook. Now, I've never noticed that off flavor, but I definitely start to smell it towards the end third of a cook. Truth be told, I think I don't notice the taste because the bottom of the food ends up getting a little crispy anyway, and I attribute it to that. :P
Great video! Right to the point. Thermal mass to keep heat steady and moisture to help convection of heat and smoke.
Yessir thanks for watching 👍
Really good, comprehensive case for a water pan! Of course a case can also be made that you’ll get better bark without it. I’ll say this, though. I don’t care how great the bark is if it’s adsorbed a lot of grease smoke. I used water pans most all the time in my Weber Smokey Mt cookers but don’t near as much in my Kamado Joe’s.
Another informative video as always!
Thanks bud
Nice informative video Coach. Thanks. Cheers.
Thanks bro
Great video, thumbs up 👍 I'm just getting into the smoking game. Built myself a whisky barrel smoker. finished it off with the bottom shelf for the water pan there, about to do my first run this weekend with a bit of brisket. Probably try a mix of oak and hickory 70/30. Wish me luck, from Scotland.
How did it turn out
I have a Masterbuilt 230s verticle smoker and those come with a water pan even though you recommend using it I can't really tell any difference in the moisture of any of the meat I've been smoking, especially if you brine it. The pan seems to me to hinder the amount of smoke that clings to the meat 🍖 and seems like it take long to get it done than without it.
Also the level that you put your grill height can make a big difference since it cooler at the top of the vertical smoker and hotter at the bottom..
nice video, i only use water when smoking turkey, brisket and ribs i smoke them dry
I bought a vertical water smoker. The water is to regulate the heat because when the temps try to rise, they energy from the fire has to get the water to boil before the temps go up. In the end, it burned a lot of fuel when I tried to go above 225 and I just left the empty pan as a heat deflector. As far as spritzing goes, I don't bother. So many people turn out top notch BBQ without spritzing, y'all have to ditch these crutches and learn your pit. I cooked on an ECB with no vents, no insulation and no sealed bottom. The most sold item on craigslist because nobody can seem to get them to work.
A bed of briquettes to provide heat with no flavor and a layer of charcoal and wood chunks on top. 5 hot briquettes in the corner and it'll burn from one side to the other over 3-4 hours with a touch of charcoal and wood smoke, finally leaving the long burning briquettes to finish the meat off. Full charcoal tastes like...charcoal. Too much wood smoldering away tastes bitter. I'd light the thing and take two steps back, because once it was lit, you had no control. It would settle at 225 and sit there like a champ. If you want to add some grilling flavor, throw trimmings on to the fire.
Now I have an offset, still no water pan and no need for it either.
I don't tend to run a water pan in my modified weber kettle. The tight enclosed space and grease vaporizing on the diffuser/grease pan seems to keep it moist enough that I hardly even need to spritz anymore. Last time I ran a water pan with this setup, it seemed like I had trouble forming bark and getting things up to temp; but that was right after modifying things, and I hadn't learned how it cooked yet. (several cooks in, both in summer and winter, and I'm still not convinced I fully comprehend the character of this cooker. :P )
Do you use a water bowel in your smoker for making summer sausage and smokies
Great video
Great points on water pans Steve! I usually run one as well for the reasons you mentioned. Have a great weekend brother and smoke on!
Hey Charlie, thanks bud hope you have a good one as well
nice presentation steve. i am enjoying your channel
Thanks bud
So i have an off set style pellet grill and it overcooks the bottom most time. Can i but the brisket/meat straight above the waterpan and will still have a good outcome overall?
I'm in the same situation, how did yours turn out?
When I use a water pan in my Akorn, the steam collects as water at the top vent and then drips down onto my meat and ruining the bark and washing some of the seasoning off. Any ideas on how to avoid this? Since this was happening I just stopped using a water pan and generally just deal with the temps being a little higher.
Well I would go with try to open the top vent a little more to allow more of that steam to escape, of course that would mean you would probably have a slightly higher cooking term as well. The other thing is you can always reseason the spots where the dripping was and that will still set as bark in plenty of time.
@@Cookoutcoach I will try opening the vents a bit more. And, yeah, I reseasoned the times it happened. Thanks, man.
How much water should be in the pan just to cover the bottom
What part of West Virginia are you from? My parents are from Summers County.
Thanks for the video! If you run a water pan and spritz less, how often are you spritzing?
When ur meat starts getting dry, like around the edges usually dry first.
I just bought a WSM 22, should I just pour the water right into the pan or would it be better to line it with foil then fill with water? I see a lot of people saying to foil but I don't know why.
Foil is nice for when you clean it out it’ll keep some of the grease from getting in the actual pan so you can pour the remaining water out then just throw the foil away
Gonna be water or sand in the pan for my vertical
Hey, thanks for all the information! I'm subscribed to your channel. I DO have a question though. I am a brand new smoker grill owner (an Oklahoma Joe Longhorn Combo). I would LIKE to try using the water pan. It's okay then, to use a cheap aluminum foil (as you described it here in your video as a 'hotel kind'..haha)? My main question though is this; where exactly do I place the water pan in my grill? I have the firebox (I know in your video you said something about placing it next to the firebox), so, I actually place the water pan in the bigger part (for regular charcoal grilling)? Do I place the water pan then on just a grate above the fire? Or, should I place the water pan on my grate in the firebox just above the fire?. I have not been able to find a direct answer to this question. Please help! Thanks!
Put it on a hot point
Thank you for not jumping on the "water in water pans are for noobs, real pitmasters only use sand/terra cotta or nothing at all" bandwagon you tend to see on online bbq forums.
First timer here.. thinking of smoking chicken legs or a whole chicken. Trying to learn the basics
Can you put liquid smoke in the drip pan to help with flavor
Thats what I want to know. I have a treager and it's not the best for that great smoke flavor like a true smoker IMO. So thinking I could add a pan with water and some liquid smoke to help with that...
Bro! I ❤️U
I read that steam helps the meat absorb the smoke.
Water pan on Gravity 980? Pork butts, briskets?
Great question, so you can absolutely add a water pan if you like. I’ve played with it, when I do I’ll use the top shelf for my meat and place the water pan underneath so if I’m getting too much grease dripping smoke I can move the water pan under the meat to catch the grease instead
West by God Virginia ♥️🇺🇸👍🏻😎
No water pan just spritz. Fun fact meat on the inside will be way more moist without water pan.
One significant matter or concern that bugs me about so many that use "disposable" aluminum is WAST. Aluminum does not grow back. I believe in conservation. Use reusable items! At least such all could, would, should be ReCycle! Not in the trash! Yes, SnS has a drip pan and cost more than an aluminum pan but can be used hundreds or more time. I purchased a 18.5 inch round like bake pan as a drip pan. I'm just getting into BBQing and trying to do it as right as I can. I did achieve a culinary degree from a very reputable College. But one never or I can always keep learning.
I dis agree, Steam add water to your cooks, making them more tender and juicy 👉👉As there being steam cooked 💦💦with fire 🔥🔥 Plus lowering the heat
Plus the bark on it is softer wet as well > All that steam is around it and going threw it LIKE SMOKE > That why i DISAGREE
What's up with your dogs.... Their legs are so long
Who the f*** thumbed it down? What a d*** lmao