Anybody use a water pan in their pellet grill

[SmokinAl]

I have always used a water pan in every smoker I have had except when cold smoking. Just wondering why no one uses one in a pellet pooper. The inside of my RT, is a very dry environment. I was just thinking that it sure could benefit from a water pan. But I don’t know enough about pellet smokers to try it without some input from you guys that have had pellet grills for a while. Also I was thinking of putting a small split on the cast iron cover over the burn pot. Thoughts on both?
Al

 

[JCAP]

On my last few cooks I've added a water pan to my Bullseye. I know it might not be important but I feel like it helps.

No idea about the wood though!

 

[chopsaw]

I use a broiler pan from the oven as a drip pan . I put water in it sometimes . Mostly to keep the stuff that drips off from burning .
I like the dry environment for roasts , because it seals up the outside of the meat . I do feel like water is a good add for some things though .

As far as wood goes , I've had the same thought . My pellet grill puts out great smoke flavor just the way it is . I don't use anything additional , but have wondered what a chunk of wood would do .

 

[Winterrider]

I did last time I made ribs. Seemed like they stay a little more moist using regular method

 

[SmokinAl]

OK, so far it seems like there is no way I can damage the RT by using a water pan. Now if I put a thin wood split on the casting above the fire pot, will I start a fire or will it just smolder. I have a RT 1250, & rarely run it above 225. What do you all think?
Al

 

[JIMSMOKES]

I use one in mine I put it under the grates on top of the diffuser plate. I use a smoke tube stuffed with wood chips and enough pellets to keep it burning. The one time I put a piece of wood directly on the plate it just laid there and got darker.
I have the Pit Boss 1150

 

[cutplug]

I used to use a water pan in my brinkman but in 20 years of using pellets never have.
Couldn't hurt if you wanted to try. Same with the wood chunks on the diffuser.
I would like to get my diffuser replaced with the newer version, looks like a much better
unit.
Good luck and I am sure you will share your results with us.

 

[WaterRat]

I havent tried and don’t have much extra real estate in mine anyhow.

 

[mneeley490]

I havent tried and don’t have much extra real estate in mine anyhow.

I don't usually have much room either, but I buy these cheap, foil bread loaf pans at the local dollar store. They're on the small side, and don't take up much room. My GMG runs a little hotter on the right side, so that's where I usually place it on the grill rack.

 

[bill1]

I've mentioned it a couple times that I use a metal bread pan with a small water heater element in it that I usually have running at about 500W. I do the same on one of my vertical smokers but there I don't like to open the door, so I use a syphon-based autofill method with a glass wine jug outside to keep it at a fixed level. But with the pellet smoker I'm opening the lid a lot so it's no big deal to just add water with an Ikea watering can.
But a water pan alone was just not enough. Yes, pellet machines run very dry with all that air flow, and I manually cut the fan speed on mine as well. But I think humidity control is what's missing in most smokers. Then again, even just static water pans can cause arguments on this forum so I try to limit my soapbox sermons.

 

[RCAlan]

I've mentioned it a couple times that I use a metal bread pan with a small water heater element in it that I usually have running at about 500W. I do the same on one of my vertical smokers but there I don't like to open the door, so I use a syphon-based autofill method with a glass wine jug outside to keep it at a fixed level. But with the pellet smoker I'm opening the lid a lot so it's no big deal to just add water with an Ikea watering can.
But a water pan alone was just not enough. Yes, pellet machines run very dry with all that air flow, and I manually cut the fan speed on mine as well. But I think humidity control is what's missing in most smokers. Then again, even just static water pans can cause arguments on this forum so I try to limit my soapbox sermons.

Very true…

__________________

Char-Griller 980 GF… Pellet Pro Austin XL and a few more mods... In SoCal and Always... Semper Fi

 

[civilsmoker]

OK, so far it seems like there is no way I can damage the RT by using a water pan. Now if I put a thin wood split on the casting above the fire pot, will I start a fire or will it just smolder. I have a RT 1250, & rarely run it above 225. What do you all think?
Al

Yes Al this will work and in fact RT advertised it to get some additional smoke at the start.

I add a pan on fluids on the bottom grate all the time, it adds a little bit of moisture but also catch the drippings . I haven’t done the split though.

 

[BrianGSDTexoma]

Thanks for the reminder Al. I had been using in my RecTec. Mainly seemed to get better smoke rings. I have not really smoked this summer. To hot! Just starting to get back and forgot about the water pan.

 

[WaterRat]

I don't usually have much room either, but I buy these cheap, foil bread loaf pans at the local dollar store. They're on the small side, and don't take up much room. My GMG runs a little hotter on the right side, so that's where I usually place it on the grill rack.

Hmmm, might have to give that a try, I run hot on the left due to the offset burn pot and have to rotate my meats around during a cook. Still not much room…

 

[SmokinAl]

I just put a steak in the RT running at 225, 3 wood chunks on the CI burn pot cover, and a water pan under the steak. Gonna take it to 125, then cool down & put a crust on it, on the CI griddle. Will post a thread on what happens. Hopefully I don’t start the neighborhood on fire!
Al

 

[slavikborisov]

i always put and water pan on my bottom grate in my pellet smoker when doing sausages. Not sure what percentage of humidity it increases as I have never measured it.
AS far as chunks of wood i bought my pellet hopper from SmokeDaddy and the diffuser which has the option to add two wood chunks but I havent tried it yet just ran stright pellets so far. The reviews I read is it will raise temps a bit though.