To pan or not to pan

[minger]

Hello all, looking for suggestions and experience here. I'm going to smoke a brisket this upcoming weekend and it's been suggested I place my brisket in a pan. I normally place my meats right on the rack of my bullet. Does using a pan do anything special? If I use a pan, do I put anything in it other than the brisket?

 

[brooksy]

Do not put in a pan until you've hit the stall! If you put in a pan from the beginning then you won't have the smoke hitting the meat from all around. Just my opinion of course and I'm sure there will be more opinions to come but I would imagine they will most likely be the same ;-)

 

[minger]

The smoke on all sides is what I concerned about. What is the "stall"? If I place the brisket in the pan after that, I imagine it will collect some juice that I pour over the brisket as it rests?

 

[dirtsailor2003]

I don't pan or foil anything I smoke. I will place a pan below the meats to collect the juices sometimes. Straight on the rack is the way for me.

 

[craigstoeckle]

My three cents' worth....  the pan is great for adding moisture to the meat and collecting dripping, but I am not a fan of putting the meat in a pan at all.  I agree with Brooksy and Dirtsailor2003 - don't foil or pan, especially in the beginning of the smoke.  Get that smoke all over the meat by putting it on the rack directly.  As an aside, I'm doing two 4+ lbs Smoking Beer Can Chicken's today on my 22.5 WSM. Mmmmmmm.  Good luck, 

 

[minger]

I chose against the pan, but did try something new. Since I was spraying/mopping with Dr. Pepper, I decided to fill the water pan with it, too. It gave it a great aroma and the sugars were a great addition to my brisket. I smoked at 220 for 9 hours. Brisket was tender and juicy all the way through. Thanks everyone!