Disaster strikes!!

[goobi99]

Well, kind of anyway....while cleaning my WSM I discovered a hole in the water pan, rendering it useless. In the past I used a brinkmann charcoal pan but they have since gone out of business....should I go online and pay the $30 for the one I found or is there another hack that I don't know about? I can't believe the price of those bowls is up to $30!!! Thanks for the help.

PS..it's the old weber with the shallow pan


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[pc farmer]

Don't really need to use water do ya?

I don't use a water pan in any of my smokers.

 

[smokinhawgbbq]

How about a Stainless mixing bowl? I use those in my Brinkman trailmaster verticals I have.Don't know how much space is in a wsm for one.

Mike

 

[wade]

You can always line it with foil

 

[dirtsailor2003]

You can always line it with foil

Don't really need to use water do ya?


I don't use a water pan in any of my smokers.

I'm with Adam, I am a dry smoker.

If you feel the need to use water do as Wade says and line with foil.

 

[76lowandslow]

Hi all,

I have a Weber Smokey Mountain 22.5", you guys say you don't use water - what do you use then?  Do I fill the pan with lava rocks or is there something better?

-Larry

 

[b-one]

I'm a dry empty pan foil wrapped guy as well.

 

[b-one]

Hi all,

I have a Weber Smokey Mountain 22.5", you guys say you don't use water - what do you use then?  Do I fill the pan with lava rocks or is there something better?

-Larry

Some use sand,I use nothing.

 

[goobi99]

I've never NOT used water in there....I thought the whole point was to provide even heat . Have I been misinformed the whole time?[emoji]129300[/emoji]


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[goobi99]

Maybe I'll try just lining it and going dry.[emoji]128526[/emoji]


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[wade]

The pan is there to act as a heat buffer and to even out any spikes from the coals. I have used both sand and water and to be honest I have not really noticed much difference in the end result between the two. For me I do find it works better than not having the pan there as it helps provide a more even and less variable heat.

 

[SmokinAl]

I have always used water in mine, tried sand for a while, but like water better.

Al

 

[dirtsailor2003]

The only time that I put anything in the water pan is when I am smoking in extremely unpleasant weather. Like below 30°f or if it's blowing 30+ mph. Then I will put sand in the pan and cover it with foil for easy clean up. In those crummy conditions the thermal mass helps. Water isn't a form of stable thermal mass. When you heat water the molecules can't hang on to each other and they fly apart forming a gad (steam) which causes evaporation. So you are loosing mass and you are creating a heating ans cooling cycle in the pit. By removing the water you are creating a more stable environment.

Like Wade said the pan by itself acts as a buffer or diffuser shielding the meat from direct heat. Quite often I remove the pan all together and don't use it all. I typically do this with poultry, pork loins and lean cuts of beef roasts. Things that normally benefit from a fast hot smoke, rather than a low and slow cook.

 

[redheelerdog]

I'm a dry empty pan foil wrapped guy as well.

I am with b-one, my water pan is a foil lined drip catcher.

Most, but not all, do not use a water pan here.

Lots of previous questions on the subject: http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/newsearch?search=water+pan

Have fun

 

[damon555]

I'm a no water kinda guy too.....Mine's full of sand. It does exactly what it's supposed to do......that is to act as a heat sink to even out the temps and hold them stable. Water is a huge hassle as far as I'm concerned.......very messy.

 

[gr8day]

Replaced the water pan with a clay saucer in my 18.5, gives me more room to load up the ring with charcoal on longer cooks and I use less fuel than using water in a pan, I usually cook at 275 to 350 and running it dry makes it easy to run at those temps.